Drinking age?

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Alibi Ike

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Comments please...guests stated their kids were 15 & 17. Kids were outside with parents having wine last night. Yes, kids were having wine. These are not Americans and the kids were with their parents. Shut up about it or what?
This was not a wild party, just chatting and sipping after dinner.
 
did you provide the wine? if yes, i'd remind them of the age law 'in case you don't know'
if not, i didn't see a thing.
i was in italy and saw little babies being given two fingers dipped in wine to taste. little boy about six having a very tiny glass.
interesting but i did not see any drunken obnoxious behavior by the locals, but did see americans of various ages drinking too much and acting out while i was there.
i'm giving you my honest reaction here ... i know nothing of legal liability and consuming on your property.
 
I agree totally with SS. If you provided the wine, then tell them you can't provide it to the kids. If it was theirs, then forgetaboutit. As long as you're not breaking any laws, then respect the cultural differences.
 
I agree totally with SS. If you provided the wine, then tell them you can't provide it to the kids. If it was theirs, then forgetaboutit. As long as you're not breaking any laws, then respect the cultural differences..
Totally their wine. I don't (can't) provide/sell/distribute/give wine to anyone.
 
As long as you didn't supply then nothing to think about it. We have a very relaxed attitude to alcohol around here. It's not uncommon to see wine mixed with water for children in Italian families. And I haven't yet seen anyone carded around here, either. Of course our legal drinking age is 18, but at home it's not enforced and under parental guidance.
My parents gave me my first sip at 7 days old. Okay, I don't remember it, but it was the only damn anesthetist for an operation!
 
ON YOUR PROPERTY.
I know I am too late on this, but I would be out there for sure. YOU will be in the news if the police roll in and confront them or worse. and a 15 year old? I would go out and slap them!
"As long as you're not breaking any laws,"
you are breaking a law, ALLOWING underage drinking/consumption at YOUR ESTABLISHMENT. Doesn't matter whether you sold it or not, they are there. What if it was a wedding? Would you turn a blind eye? It has nothng to do with culture, tons of teens drink IN THIS COUNTRY, and it is illegal.
 
I wouldn't worry about it. Our country is so much more uptight about this stuff than just about anywhere else. Don't ruin their nice family interaction...pretend they did it in their room and you didn't see it if it makes you feel better. Me, I'd be out there asking them to share
cheers.gif
 
ON YOUR PROPERTY.
I know I am too late on this, but I would be out there for sure. YOU will be in the news if the police roll in and confront them or worse. and a 15 year old? I would go out and slap them!
"As long as you're not breaking any laws,"
you are breaking a law, ALLOWING underage drinking/consumption at YOUR ESTABLISHMENT. Doesn't matter whether you sold it or not, they are there. What if it was a wedding? Would you turn a blind eye? It has nothng to do with culture, tons of teens drink IN THIS COUNTRY, and it is illegal..
If I remember US law, this is where it goes to the state level. The law of 21 is purchase, not consumption. 15 states plus DC ban underage consumption, 17 states have no ban and 18 have family member/location exceptions. There are exemptions for religious, medical, employment and public club exceptions as well. See http://www.alcoholpolicy.niaaa.nih.gov/underage_possession_consumption_internal_possession_of_alcohol.html?tab=maps
 
I have 2 comments:
Check for the specifics on your local regs. I'd like to just let those nice folks be, but where I live, this would be a big deal. Trust me, I'm NOT saying that speaking to these guests would be anything but intrusive, but we have lots of very uptight folks here and this could develop into a very big deal. A business here is not even allowed to have alcohol on the premises without a liquor license, and if you have a liquor license there are very strict rules. So, I would go with your local regulations.
I'd explain the local situation here, apologize for intruding, and ask them to take it to their guest room where it would be easy for me to turn a blind eye. Doesn't mean that I'd be happy about it, but we could have lost our B&B license over something like this.
 
In the UK its only purchase that is regulated you can drink as young as you like and can have wine in a restaurant with a full meal (on your own) from 14 (i think) normal buying age is 18. This scene would be considered completely normal in the UK or anywhere in europe. In Italy and France it is very normal for kids from about 9 to have a glass of wine with dinner. However drinking to excess is very frowned upon 1 or 2 glasses with dinner is one thing but more is very dissaproved. part of the trouble in the UK with Americans is our beer and wine tends to be much stronger than in the US even the branded stuff so people just order a bud and don't realise its 3% stonger our black sheep beer is 7% as an example its a case of being sensible and carefull.
 
It is their normal way of life. I would not say anything. You didn't give them the wine,it isn't your problem. I think we talked about a similar situation a while ago where a pregnant woman was drinking wine. Not our problem.
 
It is their normal way of life. I would not say anything. You didn't give them the wine,it isn't your problem. I think we talked about a similar situation a while ago where a pregnant woman was drinking wine. Not our problem..
Catlady, I think this really depends on your location. If you're an urban inn somewhere where the drinking laws are strict and the local police (not to mention nosey neighbors) are going by randomly all the time, you might have to address this with the guest. Seriously, this wouldn't necessarily bother me at all, but it wouldn't be worth losing my business license over.
If I had an inn in Northern California wine country, I wouldn't even think about this at all.
Everyone should consider their own situation and local regs...
 
It is their normal way of life. I would not say anything. You didn't give them the wine,it isn't your problem. I think we talked about a similar situation a while ago where a pregnant woman was drinking wine. Not our problem..
Catlady, I think this really depends on your location. If you're an urban inn somewhere where the drinking laws are strict and the local police (not to mention nosey neighbors) are going by randomly all the time, you might have to address this with the guest. Seriously, this wouldn't necessarily bother me at all, but it wouldn't be worth losing my business license over.
If I had an inn in Northern California wine country, I wouldn't even think about this at all.
Everyone should consider their own situation and local regs...
.
Maybe, if we were talking about a 5 year old or something. A stranger or even nosy neighbor peering at a teenager with their parents? Absolutely no way for them to tell the kids are underage.
 
It is their normal way of life. I would not say anything. You didn't give them the wine,it isn't your problem. I think we talked about a similar situation a while ago where a pregnant woman was drinking wine. Not our problem..
Catlady, I think this really depends on your location. If you're an urban inn somewhere where the drinking laws are strict and the local police (not to mention nosey neighbors) are going by randomly all the time, you might have to address this with the guest. Seriously, this wouldn't necessarily bother me at all, but it wouldn't be worth losing my business license over.
If I had an inn in Northern California wine country, I wouldn't even think about this at all.
Everyone should consider their own situation and local regs...
.
Maybe, if we were talking about a 5 year old or something. A stranger or even nosy neighbor peering at a teenager with their parents? Absolutely no way for them to tell the kids are underage.
.
Don Draper said:
Maybe, if we were talking about a 5 year old or something. A stranger or even nosy neighbor peering at a teenager with their parents? Absolutely no way for them to tell the kids are underage.
Or what's in those glasses.
 
It is their normal way of life. I would not say anything. You didn't give them the wine,it isn't your problem. I think we talked about a similar situation a while ago where a pregnant woman was drinking wine. Not our problem..
Catlady, I think this really depends on your location. If you're an urban inn somewhere where the drinking laws are strict and the local police (not to mention nosey neighbors) are going by randomly all the time, you might have to address this with the guest. Seriously, this wouldn't necessarily bother me at all, but it wouldn't be worth losing my business license over.
If I had an inn in Northern California wine country, I wouldn't even think about this at all.
Everyone should consider their own situation and local regs...
.
Maybe, if we were talking about a 5 year old or something. A stranger or even nosy neighbor peering at a teenager with their parents? Absolutely no way for them to tell the kids are underage.
.
Don Draper said:
Maybe, if we were talking about a 5 year old or something. A stranger or even nosy neighbor peering at a teenager with their parents? Absolutely no way for them to tell the kids are underage.
Or what's in those glasses.
.
I've given sparkling cider in small wine glasses to our 6 & 8 yr old grandkids. No alcohol but someone looking on might raise an eyebrow.
 
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