Kids and Wine

[Nibsey]

On alcohol, the big difference that I notice between the US and the UK (and I think much of Northern Europe is similar) is that it's quite common for Americans just not to drink alcohol - not particularly for religious reasons (though that's more common too), they just don't drink.  In the UK, virtually everyone drinks, it's really uncommon to be teetotal (unless you're Muslim or a strict Hindu/Buddist), and even when teetotallers have parties, they provide alcohol.  I don't think I have ever been to a party or to dinner at someone else's house (except for some of the stricter Hindus in my family) and not been offered alcohol.

I agree with this but I also think this has to do with how people socialise. On this site I often read Americans saying they had X event in the church hall or a local park. Whereas here (at least in Ireland and I suspect in the UK too) after X event people go to a pub as either their house isn't large enough and we don't tend to use church halls for those kind of individual events (For example, for my confirmation tea and sandwiches were served at the church hall for everyone and after we went back to my house where the extended family had been invited for a party). Most pubs have an upstairs large room for events so tea and sandwiches* are often served in the local pub for after christening, communions, confirmations, funerals, milestone birthdays etc. I've even seen small weddings held in the lounge area of the pub.

The 'line' regarding children being around alcohol is that they can't be in a pub after 7pm, so it's not unusual to see children in a bar during the day. However I'm seen some people on this board with the 'line' being pubs are only for adults and a child being in one is culturally alien.

*I'm using tea and sandwiches to encompass large gatherings food, this can be soup, a buffet etc. My mom served large bowls of chicken casserole at the last big family event.

[Weez]

I agree with this but I also think this has to do with how people socialise. On this site I often read Americans saying they had X event in the church hall or a local park. Whereas here (at least in Ireland and I suspect in the UK too) after X event people go to a pub as either their house isn't large enough and we don't tend to use church halls for those kind of individual events (For example, for my confirmation tea and sandwiches were served at the church hall for everyone and after we went back to my house where the extended family had been invited for a party). Most pubs have an upstairs large room for events so tea and sandwiches* are often served in the local pub for after christening, communions, confirmations, funerals, milestone birthdays etc. I've even seen small weddings held in the lounge area of the pub.

The 'line' regarding children being around alcohol is that they can't be in a pub after 7pm, so it's not unusual to see children in a bar during the day. However I'm seen some people on this board with the 'line' being pubs are only for adults and a child being in one is culturally alien.

Nibsey, you've got a very good point there.  In my experience, in the UK most function rooms that can cater for events of any size will be in a venue with an alcohol licence, usually either a pub or a hotel.  Usually the function room will also have a bar, separate from the main pub bar.  There are some church halls or village halls where you could do the catering yourself, but many pubs/hotels would be able to prepare and serve the food for roughly the same price as it would cost you to buy it yourself (plus you'd have to prepare, store, serve and tidy it up yourself).

As for children, if I remember rightly, pubs in the UK historically had 2 bars: one for the serious drinkers (i.e. the men  ) and the other for women and children.   If they didn't have 2 separate bars, children weren't allowed in and women were 'discouraged' from going in.  Now however, more pubs are aiming to be 'Gastropubs', places where you can get a good quality meal in a relaxed atmosphere and families are encouraged to visit.

[violinp]

American here. I was served alcohol in a European country when I was 16. I also proceeded to get tipsy enough that a friend took away my drink so I wouldn't be full - on drunk. That experience taught me how to drink responsibly, and now I only have one glass of one alcoholic beverage per special meal. Also, my parents allowed Sis and me to have a little alcohol with special meals once we became high school seniors.

Many of my classmates snuck out to "barn dances," which were not held in a barn, but rather a rich kid's home, and the alcohol flowed like it was going out of style. I think it may have been partially because of the over-emphasis on teetotalling by their parents.

[Gwywnnydd]

Thinking about it, and this is purely my own guess (so is quite probably wrong!), the attitude towards alcohol in the US reflects American culture, in that as a nation, America appears to be more conservative than much of Europe.  For example, movies which would be an '15' (only suitable for those aged 15 years or older) rating here, may be 'NC-17' in the US.  More extreme TV shows, like True Blood or Dexter are shown on select cable channels, while they're on mainstream channels here in the UK. 

It might be more (pedantically) accurate to say that America is more conservative about s3x.
Violence is OK, but s3x is Ob Da Debbil. *eyeroll* So, nudity or innuendo gets a much harsher rating than graphic violence.
Sorry, this is my pet peeve =D

[Weez]

Please don't apologise, I won't argue with you!  You're not being pedantic, you're being accurate. Accurate is always good!

[kherbert05]

Thinking about it, and this is purely my own guess (so is quite probably wrong!), the attitude towards alcohol in the US reflects American culture, in that as a nation, America appears to be more conservative than much of Europe.  For example, movies which would be an '15' (only suitable for those aged 15 years or older) rating here, may be 'NC-17' in the US.  More extreme TV shows, like True Blood or Dexter are shown on select cable channels, while they're on mainstream channels here in the UK. 

It might be more (pedantically) accurate to say that America is more conservative about s3x.
Violence is OK, but s3x is Ob Da Debbil. *eyeroll* So, nudity or innuendo gets a much harsher rating than graphic violence.
Sorry, this is my pet peeve =D

As a kid, I noticed that movies were the kids defy the adults and save the day got harsher ratings in Canada than the US. Movies that "had" to have curse words added to get a PG rating here had ratings that kept a younger cousin from being allowed to go in Canada. (I want to say the rating was PG11 but that is a total guess).

I asked my cousins why it had that rating. They looked at me like I was nuts and said the police and government were the bad guys. I said, "of course they are."