Movie Culture

One of those little differences that never ceases to surprise me is that you can get glasses of wine at the movies here in Australia. Back at home, you would never see this but here it's very much a cultural thing.

It's no secret that Australia has a very vibrant and healthy wine industry but alcohol consumption in general is a big part of the culture. Almost every restaurant and cafe is licensed to serve alcohol--and if they aren't, they usually have a BYO (bring your own) policy wherein they charge either a corkage fee (something in the order of $3-5 per bottle) or a fee per glass ($3-4 per person). You even see people drinking in the park--and I'm not talking homeless people. Everyone here drinks. Maybe it's a European thing (Australia is very multicultural) or maybe it's just a "colony of criminals" thing (hahaha), but there's no getting around it: Australians will drink whenever and wherever they can. In some instances, it's actully *cheaper* to buy wine than it is to buy water. But then again, look at the beer and spirits prices and you'll faint!

So why bring this up? Jeremy and I are going to the movies tonight to see Skyfall and I thought it was a timely topic. I won't be indulging in any wine but I thought you might find the topic interesting. As I said, I'm always surprised no matter how many times I go to the movies!