Drinking in Sydney: 3 Things to Know
While talking with Yongwan about how drinking in Sydney differs from Korea, we noticed a few unique differences, so I'm writing them down.
In Australia, convenience stores don't sell alcohol after 10 PM. Maybe it's because they can't sell liquor, but convenience stores just shut down completely at 10 PM anyway. Dedicated liquor stores (like Kaja Liquor back in Korea) also close at 10 PM. Since you can't buy alcohol late at night, you have to buy it in advance to keep at your hotel, or else you'll have to go to a bar to drink.
You can't drink on the street. In Kings Cross, there are so many drunk kids that maybe the cops just let it go, as lots of people are outside drinking and smoking. But even there, there's a catch. Worried that a passing police officer might catch them, everyone wraps their beer bottles in paper bags and sips them through a straw like they're drinking cola. The fines must be heavy if you get caught. You absolutely cannot just hold a bottle and drink like you would at the Han River (in Seoul).
They don't eat anju (bar snacks) when they drink. This is one of the things I really can't understand, but watching Australians drink, they literally just drink the alcohol. Whether it's beer or whiskey, they only drink (wine is an exception). Then the next day, they worry about hangovers and munch on things like kebabs. There's a joke that if there's only alcohol in the street vomit, it's a white Aussie, and if there's food in it, it's an Asian Aussie. Whatever they do, we still make sure to get our snacks. Even if I'm full, I just can't drink alcohol on its own.