And People Wonder Why I Drink....

[Lace Neil Singer]

I'm amazed you can take your drink and go....there is no WAY that would be allowed here. Any alcohol purchases have to be sealed and in a bag so it's hidden.

Where I live, ie in my village, there's no rule against drinking in the street. Which is good; I often take a bottle of WKD for the journey home. XXD But in the towns, there is a rule against drinking in the street, and if you get caught, means a whacking great fine. -.- Same goes for a lot of the major towns, like Brighton and Hastings, which sucks. I understand why they have those rules, but in my experience, the people who they were made for are the people who go right ahead and break the rules regardless and get away with it due to the lack of police present on the street.

As for kids at the bar, that's stupid. If I'm sitting at the bar chatting with my mates or passing the time of day with the bar staff, and some broad rolls up with her rugrats, I am not going to censor myself. Children do not belong at the bar; at most, they belong in the beer garden. I spent a lot of time in beer gardens as a kid cuz, get this, my parents didn't think that children belonged in bars, either.

[crashhelmet]

Common Conversation

JESTER: “Would you like a to go cup for your drink?”
CUSTOMER: “What? We can drink on the streets here?”
JESTER: “Yep.”
CUSTOMER: “Really?”
JESTER: “Yep.”
CUSTOMER: ”REALLY?!?”
JESTER: “Absolutely.”

Yes. Really. Really really.

We have this conversation all the time here in Vegas too.

CH

[JustaCashier]

[Stupid Question]:A guy in his fifties, who was reasonably sober, asked me quite seriously, "That Mount Gay rum...is that some kind of rum designed for gay people?"

Snappy Answer: "No sir, not necessarily"

" However, as the name suggests, consuming it may give a straight the desire to mount a gay man."


Mike

[EricKei]

Where I live, ie in my village, there's no rule against drinking in the street.

Here, the law is just "no GLASS on the street". Enter: the Go Cup. Bonus points if it's a shade of flourescent _____ not found in nature.

We DO technically have laws against Public Drunkenness here, but they're well-nigh unenforceable. Can you imagine trying to do that during a parade? You'd need to Breathalyzer people to figure out who's NOT under the influence >_< THe cops mostly use that one here only as an add-on (kinda like seatbelts -- iirc, cops here cannot pull you over for ONLY a seatbelt infraction, it has to be added on to another infraction)...ie, watering the plants while drunk, public nudity (moreso than others around you), roughhousing, weapons (a glass beer bottle outside of a bar counts as this, I believe) et al. It's hard to arrest people when the street is literally wall-to-wall people, so they make sure the ones they grab are worth the trouble.

[MadMike]

Because we are a “family restaurant,” the Boss Man has decided that we will no longer have a rule of no one under 21 sitting at the bar.

Can he actually do that? Here in PA, I'm pretty sure it's against the law to let minors sit at the bar. I thought maybe that was the law in every state.

[Whiskey]

Welcome to the Romper Room Bar!

I love my job. I really do. But a recent decision by management has me aggravated to no end. Because we are a “family restaurant,” the Boss Man has decided that we will no longer have a rule of no one under 21 sitting at the bar. Obviously no one under 21 can drink (that’s a law, after all), but now anyone can sit at the bar, and people can have their children there too. Though at night, after the kitchen closes, the old rule will be back in effect.

In theory, I understand his reasoning. We ARE a restaurant, and a family-friendly one. But we also are a bar, and we show a lot of sporting events, and there are a lot of times people will be at the bar using all kinds of coarse language. If and when people get uncomfortable using such language around children, they will patronize another place for their sporting events.

And frankly, it is my opinion that children don’t belong at a bar. Period. Take yesterday. Near the end of my shift, a family of five comes in, and they head straight to the bar. The father lifts his oldest child (maybe five?) on to a bar stool, and the kid immediately dumps his toy dinosaurs (or soldiers, or whatever they were) on to the bar and begins playing with them while Dad orders drinks for Mom and himself. Add to this that one of the other children was alternating whining and screeching at the parents, and it was all I could do to keep a straight face and not kill them all. (No jury would have found it to be unjustified.) Luckily for me, they decided to take their drinks to go (something you can do in this town), but I know such a situation is coming that is going to drive me batty.

Meh. Complete and total meh.

Oh. Oh god no. I would NEVER entertain drinking somewhere (in the bar area, at least) where children were allowed to be present. Like you mentioned, when I drink I curse like a sailor, tell dirty jokes, talk about things COMPLETELY inappropriate for childrens ears. Not to mention, what if a child grabs moms tall glass double whiskey and coke off the bar thinking its COKE and takes a drink?

Not to mention, who wants to drink around kids? I would immediately go somewhere else. Video stores have family videos but it doesnt mean the kids should be allowed into that bright red back room with the curtain covering it.

edit: Yes, sitting next to me in the bar is as bad as staring at porn. I might be a little more vulgar, actually.

To Happy! Miss ya, girl….and the next cold one’s for you.

Aww, man :\ I'm all sad now. I'm drinking a beer for Happy right now. I'm sorry for your friend

[Andara Bledin]

I Wonder If They Have a Twelve-Step Program for This

I am somewhat addicted to Golden Tee, a popular golf video game which many of may be familiar with. This is rather ironic, considering my lack of interest in actual golf, either as a participant or a spectator.

First off, yes. There are several. >.<

I not only quite enjoy golf games, but I tend to like to fish in games that have it. I have no idea why, since even I will admit most in-game fishing is about as exciting as the real-life deal. But at least with fishing games, I can actually catch things.

^-.-^

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Contrary to a lot of peoples beliefs, there are still some very small towns in America (I know of one in NE) where the bar is the place entire families go on Friday or Sat night.

One of these places is called At Least 50% of Wisconsin. In my city I can hardly swing my arms without hitting a bar. I am surrounded by little bergs that have this kind of setup. Nothing in town except a stop sign and a couple bars.

Even in the bigger cities, it ain't no thang to see minors in a bar with their parents. Hell, I tagged along with my dad to the bar a few times as a wee Irvling. Either it's legal for minors to be in bars with their folks here, or the law against it is on the books but never enforced.

If you remember one thing about my home state from your time on CS, understand this: We drink. A lot.

[grokit]

The reason I thought they were Australian was because their accents sounded very Australian, not British, AND they were asking about an Australian rum. Kind of leads me to believe they were Australian, though as always I reserve the right to be horribly and embarrassingly wrong.

With the massive array of regional accents in the UK I wouldn't be surprised if one of them sounds rather Aussie, especially since there's some shared phrases between here and Aus.

What I've found funny was folk in the UK thinking I was Aussie or Belgian because of my Saffa accent.

[tollbaby]

One of these places is called At Least 50% of Wisconsin. In my city I can hardly swing my arms without hitting a bar. I am surrounded by little bergs that have this kind of setup. Nothing in town except a stop sign and a couple bars.

Even in the bigger cities, it ain't no thang to see minors in a bar with their parents. Hell, I tagged along with my dad to the bar a few times as a wee Irvling. Either it's legal for minors to be in bars with their folks here, or the law against it is on the books but never enforced.

If you remember one thing about my home state from your time on CS, understand this: We drink. A lot.

That's because you live in Wisconsin

Last year we went to a Cushman Club scooter meet in Marenga... the caterers were "Joe's Pizza - the #1 Pizza in Marenga!"... um... it's the ONLY pizza in Marenga, but there ARE four bars!

[Jester]

So, Jester, if I came to Key West and wanted to order something at your bar, what would I be able to use as an ID?

- German Federal ID card
- European Driving License
- International Driving License
- German Passport

No, no, no, and yes. Sorry, but that's the way Florida laws are. I CAN take a German driver's license, assuming I can understand it (I know enough where I can actually understand the German DL's I have seen), but if I can't understand a license, I do not have to take it. This has happened to me, and pissed the customer in question off, as they were trying to tell me, "Well, it says my birthdate right here!" The fact is that I cannot take their word for what their license says, just as I cannot take their word for how old they are.

To reiterate, in the State of Florida, the only acceptable four forms of ID for purposes of purchasing alcohol (if you are young-looking enough to be carded) are: a U.S. state-issued driver's license/ID card; a U.S. Armed Forces ID card; a passport; and a driver's license.

I know what you are going to ask next. "Wait, a driver's license? But you said you can't take the Euro or International driver's licenses!" Correct. They have to be from a specific country. First of all, I have never seen a Euro DL, so I can't comment directly on that. Secondly, the International Driver's License, while it is a valid license for driving, is not considered all that tough for underaged (or any) people to get, it is often used for the specific purpose of procuring alcohol, and like the oft-seen International Student ID Card, means absolutely nothing legally in the State of Florida. (Ditto my home state of Arizona, if I remember correctly. I cannot comment with much authority on any other State, but a lot of them have very similar if not identical laws and rules.)

The bottom line is this: even if someone presents one of the aforementioned valid ID's, if we have any questions about them at all, we do NOT have to accept the ID nor serve the person. As providers of age-restricted material (alcohol), we have the right to refuse service to anyone. Period.

My suggestion to you, my friend, is that if you come to the lovely Sunshine State and have the privilege of looking 30 or under or expect to get carded, either procure yourself a German DL (although that is no guarantee, of course), or bring your passport. And I know they are bulky, but there is good news: they are now producing passports that are DL size, so they will fit in your wallet. Saw my first one a few months ago. It was cool.

Oh, and (stupid question?) what kind of rum would you recommend? At the time, they seem to be hyping that Guatemalan stuff (Zacapa, IIRC) around here... Well, all I can say is, starting at around 50 Euros per bottle, it isn't exactly cheap...

Well, do you want GOOD rum or CHEAP rum?

As for Ron Zacapa, I highly recommend the Centenario 23 year old. Awesome rum at a decent prize. The Zacapa XO is far more expensive without being all that much better, and the 15 year old is okay, but not nearly on the level as the 23, which is great for sipping OR mixing. For me, the best mojito I have ever tasted is made with Ron Zacapa Centenario 23 year old. Exquisite.

Other rums? Good lord, there are so many. Without knowing your particular tastes or uses for rum (sipping? mixing? shots?) I will just rattle off some of my favorites, leaving out the ones that break the bank:

Atlantico Private Cask (Dominican Republic)
El Dorado 12 or 15 year old (Guyana)
Pyrat XO Reserve (Anguilla, British West Indies)
Mount Gay Extra Old (XO) (Barbados)
Zaya (Trinidad)
Pampero Aniversario (Venezuela)
Ron Centenario XX (20 year) (Costa Rica)
Vizcaya VXOP Cask No. 21 (Dominican Republic)
Dos Maderas 5+3 (Spain)
Kilo Kai spiced rum (Curacao)
Santa Teresa 1796 Antiguo de Solera (Venezuela)
Zafra (Panama)
Ron Matusalem Gran Reserva 15 year or 18 year (Dominican Republic)

If that list doesn't keep you busy, then I can't help you.

Here, the law is just "no GLASS on the street".

Ditto.

We DO technically have laws against Public Drunkenness here, but ...the cops mostly use that one here only as an add-on

Ditto. Also, technically speaking, we DO have an open container law, but it is officially selectively enforced in the "Party Zone" (i.e., the entire downtown area), basically also being used as an add-on charge to people are being douchebags in some other way. As long as you are not being an idiot and your drink is in plastic, you are good to go in Ole Key West.

Can he actually do that? Here in PA, I'm pretty sure it's against the law to let minors sit at the bar. I thought maybe that was the law in every state.

You were mistaken. He can do that because I work in a restaurant, and there is NO law in the state of Florida against minors sitting at a bar within a restaurant. There ARE laws against them being in bars that are just bars, of course, but we are not that.

Not to mention, what if a child grabs moms tall glass double whiskey and coke off the bar thinking its COKE and takes a drink?

Well, that can happen in the dining room as well, and wherever it happens, we can react to it appropriately if the parent does not. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but we cannot have your child drinking from your cocktail. It is strictly illegal." Etc., etc.

To be honest, whether in the dining room or the bar area, that is almost never a problem. Even stupid people would have to be really stupid to let that shit happen.

[BookstoreEscapee]

I'm amazed you can take your drink and go....there is no WAY that would be allowed here. Any alcohol purchases have to be sealed and in a bag so it's hidden.

When I was down in Key West, we took our drinks for a walk a few times just for the novelty factor.

It's only (relatively) recently that New Jersey started allowing you to take home unfinished bottles of wine from restaurants. They recork it and it's supposed to be in a bag. My dad always puts it in the trunk. Makes more sense to me, since if you pay for a bottle of wine and you can't take home any leftovers, you're more likely to finish it and then maybe you shouldn't be driving home...

Contrary to a lot of peoples beliefs, there are still some very small towns in America (I know of one in NE) where the bar is the place entire families go on Friday or Sat night.

"You have a baby! In a bar!!" <cookies for reference>

For some reason my casino allows children up at the cage. They can get change (by themselves too!) and even cash travel checks! Alas, I am a sheep and rules I have to follow

Wow. When I went to Atlantic City I was carded to get change (and four other times just wandering around the casino...twice by the same guy). (I was just turned 21 at the time.)

(kinda like seatbelts -- iirc, cops here cannot pull you over for ONLY a seatbelt infraction, it has to be added on to another infraction)

In NJ, seatbelts have been a primary offense for a while now. They're very fond of the "Click it or ticket" promotion around here...

Can he actually do that? Here in PA, I'm pretty sure it's against the law to let minors sit at the bar. I thought maybe that was the law in every state.

States can have their own laws. They could even change the drinking age if they were so inclined. I have been in a bar as a child (I was 11)...we were in Wildwood, NJ, and the other kids went to play laser tag (I was too small), and I went to dinner with the adults. They had a drink while we were waiting for our table. I was not, however, taking up a bar stool. I don't actually know what the laws are on that in NJ (not being one to hang out in bars much; nor do I have kids).

[Jester]

When I was down in Key West, we took our drinks for a walk a few times just for the novelty factor.

Novelty factor nothing. We do this as a regular thing, just because we bar hop on a regular basis.

Case in point: one time at work, I was talking to some of my customers, and they found out I was a bit hungover. They asked me where I had been the night before. I said, "Everywhere!" They said, "Bullshit! You weren't everywhere. Seriously, where were you?" So I started listing off the bars I remembered being at the previous evening. After I listed about the 12th bar or so, they conceded: "Okay, you were everywhere!"

[QUOTE=BookstoreEscapee;736334]Wow. When I went to Atlantic City I was carded to get change (and four other times just wandering around the casino...twice by the same guy).

When I was about 22 my friends and I roadtripped to Laughlin, Nevada (a sorta mini-Vegas on the border of AZ and NV).

The entire time driving there, I was ranting about getting "eggs and beer," since we were set to arrive around sunrise. Well, we got there, got to breakfast in a casino, I ordered my eggs and I ordered my beer, and they asked for my ID....which was in the car, since I often take my wallet out of my back pocket when I am driving long distances.

So I went back out to the car, and on the way, was randomly putting coins in slot machines and pulling the levers. A security guard saw me doing this in my ripped jeans and rock concert shirt, apparently assumed I was a local high schooler, and chastised me: "You know you can't be doing that!" I looked at him, explained that I was of age and was on my way out to get my ID, and got a look of "yeah right" from him. So of course when I came back in the casino, I made a point of flashing him my perfectly valid ID showing I was of legal age, and then went back to my eggs and beer.

They're very fond of the "Click it or ticket" promotion around here...

As there are here in Florida.

States can have their own laws. They could even change the drinking age if they were so inclined.

Yes they can. And a few tried to not go to the 21 standard, but the federal government put so much pressure on the individual States by threatening to cut off much-needed federal transportation/highway funding that eventually all the States folded on this issue.

[MadMike]

You were mistaken. He can do that because I work in a restaurant, and there is NO law in the state of Florida against minors sitting at a bar within a restaurant. There ARE laws against them being in bars that are just bars, of course, but we are not that.

Around here at least, it's hard to say where the line is drawn between a "bar" and a "restaurant with alcohol." Even the shittiest dive bars serve food. The one that I frequent has a bar on one side (with the bar itself taking up almost the entire room), and a restaurant on the other. No one underage is allowed in the bar part, which is kind of interesting because the men's room is in that part, while the ladie's room is in the restaurant part.

Yes they can. And a few tried to not go to the 21 standard, but the federal government put so much pressure on the individual States by threatening to cut off much-needed federal transportation/highway funding that eventually all the States folded on this issue.

I remember when all the states went to 21. It happened in my senior year (86-87), I believe. I remember being on a class trip to DC, where it had previously being 18, and one of my classmates was all pissed because he had just turned 18, and he could have had alcohol when we stopped for lunch. Then again, I'm sure the school would have had something to say about that.

[Midnight_Angel]

No, no, no, and yes. Sorry, but that's the way Florida laws are. I CAN take a German driver's license, assuming I can understand it (I know enough where I can actually understand the German DL's I have seen), but if I can't understand a license, I do not have to take it.

*laughs* Thanks for the Info. When I said 'European DL', I of course meant a German DL (those DLs the size of a credit card are rather uniform across most of the EU, but of course still issued by the countries)

As for the rums, thank you. I must admit, my forays into the realms of rum are just beginning (so far, I used rums mostly for mixing; those El Cheapo rums I had in my youth are simply not suited for being drunk straight... until I came across a really likable rum during a whisky tasting (don't ask), so I want to expand my horizons), so what I wanted was a place to start with good rums. After all, like you said yourself, life is too short for cheap booze.

I did an online order for a Zacapa 23y, a 15y El Dorado, a Pyrat and a Pampero just half an hour ago; let's see how much I like them. Thanks again for a list of things to try at.