*Introduction*
K: So today on uncensored English we're lucky to have David Peachy back on with us, how's it going David?
D: Hey Keiran, yeah it's good to be back. Thanks for having me again.
K: Yeah thanks for coming on back again, I just want to remind you listeners out there. That David is a professional teacher on Italki, so if you guys like the way he's speaking, if he sounds like a great teacher to you how would they get in touch with you and schedule a lesson.
D: Ok they'd find Italki.com/peachey-teacher, so peacher teacher is my tag name on italki. Peachey, P-e-a-c-h-e-y don't forget that E it's important.
K: Yeah great, so David I haven't talked to you in awhile, how's it, how's it been going?
D: Yeah it's been going pretty well, I just uh moved house, just from uh slightly outside of the city to closer into the city. So everything is a little more convenient and much closer now. So it's pretty nice.
K: Alright, I hate moving, I hope the move wasn't that hard for you.
D: Oh, it was, it was a lot of work. That's all I can say,
K: *laughter
D: I mean I don't think any move is nice, it's different to moving overseas cause you just take a suitcase, but moving house you got a lot more furniture and things to move around.
K: Yeah all that stuff, the worst experience I had with moving was a few years ago, I lived with three guys and one of my roomates just, he just messed up and what he did was he moved all the he moved all the small stuff in first.
D: Um hm... What?
K: And you got to move the big stuff in first, right?
D: Yeah that's logical.
K: And it was just such a mess because it was so hard to get anything else in and..
D: Ok
K: I don't even want to think abouit
D: Let's put that where it belongs in the past.
K: yeah yeah exactly. So today we're going to talk about drinking culture, we're going to talk about different types of drinks, traditions, and maybe compare the Australian and Canadian drinking cultures.
D: Yeah lots do it. Let's do it!
K: Alright so David when I was in Australia I was immediately confused
D: Uh hmm
K: by the types of drinks, I had no idea what I had to order.
D: ok, ummm, obviously we're a beer loving nation. And, I'm guessing the measurement of the beer was confusing. Was that the issue?
K: Yeah, the names.
D: The names.
K: Coming from Canada, the names are just so different. I didn't know what the size was, can you kind of enlighten us and help me remember what it was.
D: Ok well I'll go from the largest to the smallest. So we start at the pint, which is 570 mils, why do we get that really strange number? It comes from the ounce system. So basically a pint is 20 liquid ounces that old measurement system. Then we go down to, I'll go to the half pint, um, where I'm from in Queensland we call it a pot, and that's 10 ounces, that's half a pint. When you were in Australia what did you call it? What did you hear?
K: uh, I think we called it a middy?
D: Middy, yeah that sounds about right. Yeah I think the people down south call it Middy. We call it pot.
K: Would middy be an abbreviation for like middle? Or do you know?
D: I definitely think so, it sounds like a definite abbreviation of middle, or mid.
K: Right, If I was ordering a pot while I was drinking I would, I mean I think it would be a matter of minutes before someone made a joke about marijuana.
D: Definitely, pot and a pot. A pot of pot. Yeah umm, I think up in Queensland the pot is traditionally more popular because we have a hotter climate.
K: Ok
D: Of course with all the popular Irish pubs and uh British style pubs turning up in Australia we moved to Pints for awhile. And now the popular size is the Schooner. Which is 15 ounces. Which is exactly between a middy or pot or pint. So yeah normally if I go into a bar these days I would normally order the beer in a schooner size. That's strange for Queensland apparently down in New South Whales or Victoria further south the Schooner is quite standard. So yeah this is a new thing for us in the hot climate of Queensland.
K: Alright so we got, a pint is the large size. Then we got the half pint is the small size, and in Australia you say that's a pot or a middy,
D: Pot or a middy, yup!
K: And then you got a, like an in between
D: Yes
K: Which is the Schooner
D: Schooner like as in sailing ship.
K: You know what, I don't think I ordered pints in Australia.
D: Ok
K: I think I was ordering schooners.
D: Yeah, um if you're down in New South Whales I think that's the standard beer size. The beer schooner. Yah
K: Alright, so after you've bought your drinks
D: um hmm
K: and you're drinking with your buddies, what else, what else do we need to know about drinking? In Australia what other interesting things do you guys do differently.
D: K I noticed you said, bought your drinks, plural. Because we do have a little system of rounds in Australia drinking. For example if I go out with three other friends, there are four of us. Um so one of us would shout "the first round" as in buy the first round. Um we can buy different drinks, that's all fine. We don't have to agree on the same type of drink. And when were finished someone else goes and buys the second round. Then it works around the table
K: Wait
D: um hm
K: I'm confused, so like I go to get some drinks with you and another two guys. And you just say "first round" and that means you're going to buy the first round of drinks.
D: Yup, I say I'll get the first round, yup definitely, so I'll buy a beer for everyone, and you can calculate this. So I know at least if I'm drinking with three other people. So there are four of us, so I will have at least 4 drinks.
K: Ok, and what if I have to leave after the second round and I haven't bought my round.
D: Umm if you leave early I think it's forgiveable, but if it comes to maybe the fourth round or were doing a new rounds of rounds. Yeah that would be very socially awkward, we'd think you'd be freeloading if you didn't pay for your round.
K: *laughing* what do you mean by freeloading David?
D: Like getting free beers off us.
K: right.
D: and we think you're not paying your way next time we'll go out we wont invite you.
K: Yeah, so if I constantly make a habit of leaving after the third round and not the fourth round, people are going to start not liking me as a person.
D: Exactly, I mean if you apologize a lot and say look I'm really sorry and say next time you jump in first and you get the first round yup, all will be forgiven, but people who try to avoid paying for their round. We notice it, we won't openly complain but we'll make a mental note not to go drinking with you again.
K: So let me get this straight, I can order any drink I want. Let's say you're getting like a schooner of house beer and then like two other guys are getting schooners of another similar priced beer,
D: Um hmm
K: But then I decide to get like a an expensive scotch. No one's going to have a problem paying extra for my drinks when they buy their rounds?
D: Unless you're buying an expensive expensive scotch. Yeah we don't mind um handing out the couple extra dollars just to cover the scotch. And I think if it's, if you're in a situation where you are buying rounds you will be conscious of the prices and you'll think just to be fair I'll have something that's priced approximately at what other people are drinking.
K: Alright
D: You wouldn't take it as an opportunity to buy the most expensive drink possible.
K: At least if you're not a shitty person.
D: Exactly, if you're not a shitty person, if you play fair, all will be good.
K: In Canada we have one tradition, I don't actually think it's the English part of Canada it's the french part of Canada.
D: Um hmm
K: I mean you guys, you guys do the cheers when you drink, you get a round of drinks and everyone says cheers and you start drinking is that right?
D: Yeah every new round as well, I noticed in other cultures they don't normally do this. They'll do it for the very first drink, but not for the following drinks. But we normally do it for every round.
K: yeah, and what we do is the French people say a la sante, meaning
D: A la sante,
K: Meaning to good health right
D: uh hmm
K: and then sometimes if you're just too people you'll do the whole thing where you twist your arms around each others arms and you drink.
D: Ah yeah, like you're getting married or something.
K: yeah, but the other thing is if you do the a la sante but you don't look the person in the eyes while you're doing it, you're supposed to have a curse for 10 years of bad sex or something.
D: Yeah, uh I think we're slightly aware. That's one of the rules I've heard about but I haven't seen much in Australia. I'm aware of the eye contact thing and yeah people forget about it. They're too excited about their drinks.
K: Yeah right. It's not my round get another drink.
D: yeah, free drink, free drink yup
K: Alright so let's just wrap this up quickly, David
D: Sure
K: Could you go over quickly what were the kind of drinks we did?
D: Ok the size of beer glasses, we have the largest one pint, then we have the half size of that, half-pint, which we call either a middy or a pot generally. Then we have the popular in between size, uh schooner.
K: Schooner
D: Schoonah, yeah schooner? Schoonah
K: ok no ur, schoonah
D: Schoonah
K: Like with an a sound at the end?
D: Exactly, yeah we just drop that R at the end. It's too much effort.
K: ok ok, schoonah people, not schooner.
D: Um hmm, yup. And for the drinking rounds yeah if you're drinking with a group of people. Make sure you get in early, buy around for everyone and karma will come back to you in a very nice way, in the form of beer.
K: right, yeah, don't be a freeloader.
D: yeah, don't do that, we don't like it.
K: Alright
D: Great
K: And then with Canadian, it's just with the French you look them in the eyes when you do the French cheers a la sante. Or it's a little rude, and you're going to get, well you're not going to get bad luck. That's just bullshit *laughing*
D: But people will tell you you're going to get bad luck
K: Yeah maybe you'll believe them then have bad luck
D: Exactly, I'll remember that when I'm in Canada.
K: Yeah yeah do that,
D: Eye contact
K: that's important and I won't skip out on my rounds in Australia
D: Sweet, it's a deal.
K: Alright, alright guys, so again if you want to contact David Peachey. It's italki.com/peachey-teacher
D: Yup, yes that's my tag
K: And that's how you can get in contact with him. And we'll catch you next time, on the next podcast of Uncensored English.
