Booze in the streets a no-go in Bible belt state

The sight of people drinking beer in public areas of Copenhagen was a shock for Joe Hoefler, a student from the American state of Oklahoma

by Patricia Trincado

»In most places in the US you cannot just walk around the street with a beer in your hand,« says Joe Hoefler, an international student from the Midwest state of Oklahoma (USA) who has been in Copenhagen for one semester.

In Denmark, people are open-minded when it comes to alcohol and drugs compared to Oklahoma, he has observed. Joe was particularly shocked when he discovered that drinking in the street is not banned in Copenhagen.

Joe’s home state Oklahoma is considered to be in the core of the US bible belt, meaning extremely conservative.

»In my city there are some people who do not drink at all because they think drinking is really bad«, he explains.

Buy booze in advance

In Denmark, celebrations such as 1 May would not be the same without the steady supply of alcohol all day and night from shops like 7-11.

But in Oklahoma, hard alcohol and wine are only sold in special liquor stores, which are closed on Sundays and public holidays.

»If it is a holiday and you have not bought the alcohol beforehand, then you are in trouble«, explains Joe laughing.

Uni-avis@adm.ku.dk

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