BOONIE! (and VB)

[ncorrenti 0]

No not necessarily - but I think that some of these guys drink way too much which leads them to do stupid stuff. It seems like there's always one or two that ruin it for the others, which is a shame.

[bushpig 0]

True.

[Mudguts 0]

Excellent memory snowglider! As far as the Boonie incident went. The coach at the time Bob Simpson seriously considered putting Boonie on the next flight back to Oz for another crack at 52 but after a team meeting and an appology from Boonie everyone got over it, moved on and it became legend. The Aussies then went out and won the Ashes back from the Poms. Although condemned by some I think the whole incident contributed to a team bonding that enabled the Aussies to beat the old enemy. Unwinding and bonding with mates with a few beers is equally as pleasureable for a cricketer than the games result.

[damian 0]

 Quote:

Originally posted by Bushpig:
BTW Spud, interesting to note your own attitudes toward alcohol in light of the comments you made about Boonie being a disgrace. Your comment on the best girlfriend thread would put you right up there next to him would it not??

Mate, you can't blame me.... look what we have for role models in Australia.

(Seriously, drinking alcohol to the extent that it detracts from your life is a problem in most Anglo countries. This is not necessarily a criticism, but I find England astonishing in its almost total lack of cafes and 'eat/drink' places whilst there are more beer watering holes than you can count. One of the dominant threads in Anglo Saxon communitiy interaction is the constant flow of booze. I never realised this nor what it meant until, as an Australian, I lived 2 years in Japan then two years in England with constant travel to continental Europe.)

Mudguts - yes, like I said above guys like Boonie have some great character, especially the larikan streak. No doubt it is a good part of being Australian. But I still like David Foster more than Boon. A great sporting winner, and as humble and decent as you can imagine. http://www.davidfoster.com.au/profile_and_achievements.html

[bushpig 0]

I actually do agree with you Spud, that it is very often over-done to the point of being quite stupid. Interesting though, that you say being in Japan was one of the reasons for you coming to realize this, while stating that it is a common problem in Anglo Saxon communities. Was Japan different to this? My experience of Japan is that they are on par with if not worse than Anglo Saxon culture in their booze culture. Particularly when it comes to work related drinking. It is balls-to-the-wall binge drinking. The key difference may be the lack of agro that comes with it when compared to other places. Even at non-work related things, there is a constant flow of booze here. How many ojisans have you met that get stuck into the nihonshu or shochu over dinner, which then leads them to bed at about 9, without having done anything other than sit there and drink right thru from dinner? I know quite a few.

[damian 0]

You are right, it is not unique to Anglo culture, but it is a core element of it. This is a favourite topic of mine, so a long post follows:

 

Japanese (and Chinese, Koreans) do love a big drink. Particularly in the business area where alcohol is a social lubricant/excuse for speaking your mind as an individual to your seniors. It is also an excuse for bad behaviour and staying away from your wife etc late each night. However, I don't see it as common social element in all aspects of Japanese society. Women are largely excluded and food is primarily the central aspect of community/peer gathering. With and after food comes drinking, but it is not a means to an end as it is in Anglo settings. Evidence for this is the rubbish phrase that you hear all the time in Australia, UK etc: "eatings cheating". As in, the purpose of Anglo Saxon life after work is to drink and drink as much as you can, screw the food. When I moved into my quiet residential area of Tokyo I went out first night in utter ignorance looking for the corner pub. It didn't exist and I was in shock. After Tokyo I lived in the equivalent suburb in london (leafy, residential, established). It is flooded with pubs, I drank a pint at all 15 of them one Sunday (as only an Anglo would )

 

On a trip to beloved Sydney with my girlfriend I introduced her to the concept of 'the local'. That is, the corner pub where you lob up and have a few beers with your mates, often quite early on a Sunday. They are usually crappy places with a sports tv and a smelly bar towel that exist for the purpose of dispensing beer to be poured in constant volume into your stomach. They are petrol stations that serve beer. I loved them and pretty much still do. But I now see them for what they are. My gf noted this difference between Japan and Australia and in a cute manner continues to use the phrase 'I went to my local', a concept that doesn't exists in everyday Japanese neighbourhoods. On a trip back to Oz I got of the plane, rented a car on a hot summers day, drove to the suburbs, rang my friend and he gave me directions to his local. We met and got half pissed, having not seen each other in 2 years. What else would you do? When he recently arrived for a long stay in London, that is exactly what we did his very first day in town: went and got pissed at my local. That is what we do.

 

Italy has been an eye opener, in particular Milan. There are plenty of clubs and pubs and drinking is popular. In the Shibuya types of area you will see young people drinking freely on the streets on Saturday night. In clubs, a vodka and lemonade is at least 50% vodka. Everyone loves getting pissed. But there are some amazing features in the detail. My favourite is something called apertivo (probably not spelled correctly). Apertivo is happy hour in Milan. There are very few 'local pubs' like in England or Australia. But there are heaps of 'bars' ie, the Italian term for cafe (think barista, and then think of our use of the noun 'bar' and 'bar man'). At happy hour something amazing happens, and I love it: the price of drinks sometimes rises by maximum €1 and a buffet type of thing happens where pretty decent food is free for 2 hours. So many times we stop for a drink on the way home, have several glasses of red wine or beer and eat more free food than we need. That is the best happy hour I have ever come across, yet would have most Poms and Aussie men running to the bathrooms to reassure themselves that they still have a dick. Eatings cheating. The mate I mentioned above came down to Milan with me. After an evening of sitting outside and drinking we wandered home around midnight. On the way we stopped at a very busy ice cream bar and had some gelato. i had a crepe with melted Nutella and banana. They were both in shock: why would young Italian guys and girls be hanging out at an icecream place. His girlfriend, whom I cant stand, let the 'gay' word slip. To her, eating ice cream in a social way on Saturday night is gay. Men drink. I struggle to tolerate that kind of mentality, but can't cast stones. It was only 3 years ago that I met up with a friend and some Japanese girls for a drink in Tokyo. It was 1am and he and I were amped to get pissed. We ordered beers, the girls ordered one of those half loaves of bread filled with icecream and strawberry syrup. I was appalled and silently reminded myself that Aussie girls are better because they get pissed. having left Japan for the UK I now miss that more mature attitude toward social alcohol dependency, especially when I see the lovely local girls here carrying their wobbling gut and a can of Carling down the road, barking some filth at each other

[bushpig 0]

Interesting read there spud. I actually have no gripe what-so-ever with what you say there Your posts make you seem like a tea-totling, anti-alcohol type of guy (sorry, I haven't met you or been on here long enough to have got a different impression of you - my bad). But I after reading that I can see where you are coming from. I'm not one for the everyday-at-the-pub culture myself, although I do love a few drinks with the mates. That apertivo (??) sounds cool. I usually find myself trying to pace the alcohol with food or water anyway.

 

I don't totally agree about the Japanese and their drinking culture. Granted, they don't have the local pubs everywhere, but from my experiences, drinking is a HUGE part of socializing, not just work-related, but also private. Whether that's at izakayas, pubs (whatever form), in parks (ie. hanami parties), or just at peoples homes.

 

Anyway, this discussion could go on forever. I pretty much agree with you on the attitudes toward alcohol.

 

BTW the local girls carrying their gut and Carling??

 

Back on topic. I DO STILL WANT ONE OF THOSE BOONIE DOLLS!!!

[damian 0]

Yeah, I have a long and intense history of 24 hour abuse sessions. I used to be a very big drinker "etc".

 

These days I still lose control and end up plastered even though I only intended to have 3 beers. But I am 100% of the opinion that getting genuinely solidly pissed is of no benefit what so ever, nothing but downside. It doesn't help me enjoy the things I like in life, so where is the benefit. But I still like having a drink, especially with friends on some random afternoon. Mudguts is right about the creation of Australian esprit de corps. In the Army we used to get pissed all of the time, it was a vital part of our group strength both leading into and after very challenging training exercises.

[Ocean11 0]

> when I see the lovely local girls here carrying their wobbling gut and a can of Carling down the road, barking some filth at each other

 

Had to wipe my screen down after reading that - "barking some filth at each other". How true that is.

 

Truly, the issue of the purposes of alcohol and the glamour that surrounds drinking in all its modes is a fascinating subject. I've got to the stage where I can look at my clear plastic bag of empties on Tuesdays and Fridays without feeling even a glimmer of pride. It has taken some 22 years.

 

This Boonie sounds like a beast. It's pretty funny when cricketers talk about being 'in the trenches'. Yes, a life of getting paid to hit a little red ball with a stick is a tough one.

[bushpig 0]

he was a bloody legend on the field mate. Off-field antics aside.

[Mudguts 0]

It may be a little red ball but when it's being bowled at you at 150km/h you aren't thinking about how lucky I am to be living this glamorous life of a pro sportsman but rather will I see another day of it!

[damian 0]

Why anyone would want to use anything harder than a worn out tennis ball I have no idea. Besides, red leather balls don't bounce on wet sand, nor float in the ocean.

[snobee 0]

A good read Spud.

 

Many elements of the Ozzie/Brit grog culture is stupefying to say the least. From my limited observations I wouldn't hesitate to lump some of the dutch, german, scandinavian, east european, russian....... communities into that lot too.

 

Re the ozzie get pissed mentality - most of the people I grew up with who fully embraced that kulcha, have certainly left it behind.

 

Maybe it's age, maybe it's coming to senses, maybe it's health awareness, maybe it's the police presence/drink driving, maybe I(we)move in different circles -

 

But food & alcohol these days are inextricably linked, and more often than not moderation is exercised.

 

However, on visiting Oz, I certainly don't have to look hard to find pissing on sesssions at the local.

 

But I think I'd be hard pressed to find one of the legendary days "drink the pub dry parties"

 

And on Boon - a pretty tough good batter - but arrived at the right time, in that irregardless of many early failures and sloppy innings, the selectors persevered with him. In later years not many potentially great players would be granted such a luxury.

Harder to get out of the test side than in?