I especially enjoyed reading the two articles about German beer. I have always been fascinated in the role alcohol plays in culture and society, and there are definitely some huge differences in the way Americans drink and the way Germans (and all Europeans, really) drink.
Living on a college campus, you come to observe a lot of things about the way people consume alcohol. At U of M, the social scene really is centered around alcohol consumption. Underage drinking is everywhere, and some people really take it too far and put themselves in danger. With all of the drinking that goes on here, one might be inclined to think that the general attitude around here is 'you have to drink to have fun'. I mean, what else would you do with your free time?
Having spent a couple of months in Italy this past summer, I can say that a stereotype of Americans (American girls especially) is that all they like to do is get drunk. For young Italians, the social scene is quite different. Most of the night clubs in Florence were only occupied by American tourists (and the creepy older locals looking to prey on drunk American girls). A major difference in Italian society, however, is the lack of a drinking age. Since alcohol is available to all, maybe it just doesn't have the same luster or appeal as it does to underage Americans. But I doubt that if the drinking age in the States were lifted people would stop drinking so damn much. Very interesting read!
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