Culture Shock: Cheap Booze is GOOD?

I was so surprised last night when I went to a little bar called "Jazz du Bec" in the 1ere and I ordered a glass of wine for about €2.50 and it was really good!

See, in America when we get a cheap glass of wine it resembles something like water, horse piss or even a mix of those things.  Here in France it's a high quality wine!  Even the cheapest wine in France can taste amazing.

I remember in the summertime, Bri and I found a rosé for the measly price of €1.85 and it was good.  It had a crispy flavor to counter the summer months and it didn't break the bank.

The culture in France is wrapped around wine, every night at the dinner table it is common to have your wine just as much your bread.  Drinking is not about binging and getting drunk (although sometimes this happens from hours of drinking with the family), it's a cultural past time.

Beers are amazing just as much as the wines.  The French have invented this beer drink called 'monaco' which takes a pilsner and blends it with a syrup, usually cherry or strawberry.  This drink is very sweet and has a flavor reminiscent of cherry suckers.

In Vieux Lyon it's easy to hop into a bar and order a beer for only €3 a pint, a high quality delicious brew.  Ninkasi serves several types of beers and you can even buy a mini keg to bring to parties.

I don't condone excessive drinking, but I do appreciate having high quality for lower prices... another proof that France has their costs of living under control.

So get out there and get yourself a pint... but enjoy it...

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