Danish people love drinking!!!
Maybe you will say who doesn’t?! After all every nation has its own drinking culture, with different drinking customs, habits or styles. Yes, that is true, but after these years of living in Denmark, I have personally come to the conclusion that Danes are an extreme case.
Almost every possible occasion involves alcohol, sometimes even during work. I heard that 20-30 years ago, when Denmark was a shipbuilding nation, employees working at the big ship building factories were almost forced to have beers 5 to 6 times a day, every day.
They eventually abandoned the custom because it caused so many different accidents, and the factories shut down long ago due to competition from the far east, but the beers are still a part of Danish work culture.
Of course not in the sense that people go to work every day to get pissed, more in the sense that alcohol, parties, Friday beers, that turn into Friday bars, which at university turn into Thursday, Friday and Saturday bars, are one of the primary ways of socializing with Danish people.
During my time at university here in Denmark I’ve tried following the maxim “when in Rome, do as the Romans.” And I’ve had some very fun times, I’ve met and partied with a lot of my classmates, been out dancing a lot, made new friends, and had a lot of very deep beer-induced conversations.
But when I would come to school the next day and meet these very same people, I would only receive a nod of the head or a slight smile rather than a warm welcome.
It seems as if Danes are only capable of opening up and socializing with someone who isn’t in their immediate circle of friend, if the Danish culture part of their brain is shut down by alcohol.
Luckily this doesn’t apply to all Danes, and I cherish the great friendships I’ve made with Danes during my years here, and perhaps the Danes who act like I’ve described above aren’t worth collecting as friends anyway.
Nevertheless it is frustrating that people cannot open up to you and be friendly with you if they are sober, it makes me worried about what work-life would be like here in Denmark, and it makes me understand why so many of the foreigners I’ve met here in Denmark have a very bad impression of the Danes.
Now please tell me that I’m wrong and that there’s hope yet.
10 Comments
You are, alais, right. If you ever come over to Sweden, you’ll find we are exactly the same over here. Most Danes and Swedes would really want to show you love when sober but old cultural habits and modes of conduct are steadfast. On the other hand, you will find young people socially “below” university level quite different if they live in areas where there are many immigrants from non-European states. Don’t start drinking too much! It’s a dead-end when it comes to knitting ties with new friends. Best wishes.
This is really imformatic piece of writing.
I hate to tell the painful truth, but you are very right to the bones. Danes and their drinks are inseparable to the point that it’s too much, and yes they won’t open up to foreigners unless they’re drunk.
During my 3.5 years living in Denmark I have only a handful of Danes who are very friendly toward foreigners, and guess what? Either they’re half Danes (one parent is a foreigner) or that they have been living abroad for quite some time that they’re more open to anything foreign.
will you share the idea to socialize for newcomer student who have planned to settle there and is non-drinker.
Li Yuan Wu reports a world wide phenomenon known as human nature as expressed as tribalism. In my university years we got on well with our international students on the campus but not much elsewhere. I married a girl from Denmark and I have met her extended family in Denmark. We Australians love our beer ,wine and spirits as much as the Danes. IN moderate doses alcohol reduces social tensions inherent in tribalism so we get on well at parties and pubs. Its the same the Whole world over now as it was 40 years ago whenwe were at university. Cheers, Glyn
I believe that the reason for Danes to be less motivated to open up is that Danes have suffered so much by the hands of their neighbors in their history. They never benefitted from a friendly relationship. Even today they often feel that much of their lives are controlled by a few European Politicians from the European Union in such a degree that it resembles the time where Germany occupied Denmark from 1940 to 1945.
I have met a lot of young Danes who have difficulties to find another country where the citizens suffer more. They feel that the are cheated because they cannot party in the way their parents did when they were due to all the age restrictions so they are forced into drug use or criminal acts instead.
Also the cut of social services like the early retirement means that they have nothing much to look forward to in life.
So I understand very well why there is a need to preserve our unique alcohol culture. If people don’t understand us there are many other countries to live in.
You are so right. Bang on the money. In my culture, people open up on alcohol but then they stay open and they are friends. Here, it shuts down after the drink has left the system and you have to start again the next big blowout.
Hi there,
Seems like you are noticing a drinking culture. But let me tell you- do you know where on earth there is no drinking culture? If so, I think I might have to move.
I quit drinking two years ago, and I notice everyday being around people that drink and take every opportunity to drink.
But what will we do once we aren’t a part of the bar scene and party scene?
It’s hard to go out completely clear headed while other people act obnoxious and it’s dangerous to drive on the roads after a certain time.
Is there another culutre out there or what do you do with your own time?
And how can you meet new people that think like you.
I am wondering myself and actually thinking of starting a new non profit myself, here ins San Francisco.
I have been searching for a name- and that is how I stumbled on your blog.
Anyhow, thanks for posting.
@annaeva: There is a place without drinking culture. I never had a single drop of alcohol before I moved to DK and I was doing fine.
My friends and I could still have good time / partying without alcohol simply because we were used to it.
really? It’s nice to know that. I never drank any alcohol (maybe a little beer)before I came to Denmark, I guess it’s because it isn’t considered proper behavior for a Chinese woman to drink. but after I came to Denmark, I discovered the free-spirit of almost-anything-goes. hehe it’s good to experience something different. But I don’t really drink that much anymore. I think you do get tired if you have to be social and do lots of drinking every weekend.
A lot of “respect” for some Danes who do that for years, but i at the same time i can’t help feeling sad for people who feel that they need alcohol to have fun.
By the way i really like your blog, especially your post on slow-motion, i can vividly imagine the Chinese cantina scenario you described