'booze' for kids in Japan...

[Tilter]

The code of honour obviously doesn't stretch to cigarettes, Japan has the one of the largest percentages of youths smoking in the world, mostly due to the avilability of cigarettes in machines on walls in the street and in other public places, I read that in another news story the other day. Its very odd to have alcohol vending machines, how are they supposed to card youngsters, thats very weird.

Jeemag,
Point taken re the fags. The French seem to smoke like trains too (though not as bad as they used to) without visible abuse of alcohol. HOwever, in my experience if you give up one bad habit you surely have to replace it with another.

I'll email son about carding and beer vending machines because I don't know, and get back to you.

Root beer's too sweet for me. Ginger beer's my tipple (assuming wine not available).

[Jeemag_USA]

Jeemag,
Point taken re the fags. The French seem to smoke like trains too (though not as bad as they used to) without visible abuse of alcohol. HOwever, in my experience if you give up one bad habit you surely have to replace it with another.

I'll email son about carding and beer vending machines because I don't know, and get back to you.

Root beer's too sweet for me. Ginger beer's my tipple (assuming wine not available).

I remember when i first visited Germany, the fag machines were all over too, stuck on walls or garages at the end of streets, thought it was very wierd, anyone could buy them. I remember before we made the new 5p piece you could take a load of old 5ps over to germany and get a pack of fags for 15p because the machines thought you were putting three francs in. I remember a friend taking over a bag of 5p pieces, therer must have been a tenners worth

All changed now though

[Tilter]

I remember when i first visited Germany, the fag machines were all over too, stuck on walls or garages at the end of streets, thought it was very wierd, anyone could buy them. I remember before we made the new 5p piece you could take a load of old 5ps over to germany and get a pack of fags for 15p because the machines thought you were putting three francs in. I remember a friend taking over a bag of 5p pieces, therer must have been a tenners worth

Yeah, my kids discovered that US nickels or quarters or something worked for a much higher £ denomination in British phone boxes (before the Mobile Phone Age) but we digress from Japanese kiddie beer. If it's not a problem in Japan, who cares? But, like a previous poster, I've a problem with whaling. But that's my culture too, so am I wrong to disapprove on the grounds of my culture? Probably. They could find a lot wrong with us I'm sure. I'd really love to go to Japan.

[Tilter]

Then there are the old staples: ginger beer and root beer! Names are just as influencial as taste.

When I was a kid my mother used to make ginger beer. I don't know how she did it but it used to grow. I mean it started off as one bottle and then reproduced itself till the house was full of bottles of the stuff. We couldn't drink enough to keep up with production. It was a strange life form that took over. Do any dot orgers know how to do this? I wouldn't mind making some....

(It was non-alcoholic.)