The English as binge drinkers

[fevrd]

I enjoyed this.

"The English had an international reputation as drinkers. John of Salisbury wrote that 'the English are noted among foreigners for their persistent drinking', the royal treasurer, Richard fitz Neal, believed that the high levels of crime in England were partly to be explained by 'the drunkenness which is inborn in the inhabitants', while the haughty countess of Leicester judged the English better at boasting and drinking than fighting. Geoffrey de Vinsauf, himself English, writes of 'that drinker, England' (Anglia potatrix). It was noticed that the English on the Third Crusade gave priority to their drinking 'even in the very midst of the blare of war trumpets, they kept up the the old English custom and opened their mouths wide with proper devotion to drain their goblets to the dregs.'

Bartlett, R. England Under The Norman And Angevin Kings 1075-1225. p577.

(The Third Crusade was in 1192 and all the writers mentioned are contemporary chroniclers.)

So if anybody has an explanation why we are binge drinkers in this country it needs to explain why it was happening in the 12th century just as much as now.

[eduardo]

I'm not going to get into the debate about binge drinking but at least at 9pm on a Saturday night there's some life in the town centres here.

Go to France or even worse Switzerland and they are deserted at that time.

At least we are not boring and tucked up in bed.

[nachovx]

In terms of desirable places to live in the world the UK comes bottom among the 15 countries of the pre-enlargement European Union and 29th in world ranking. What a fucking country.

[img]http://www.economist.com/images/worldin ... ytable.gif[/img]

<http://www.economist.com/theworldin/int ... 495&d=2005?

[nachovx]