the pendulum swings

i was standing at a bar in vancouver talking with someone about how much i was enjoying their city and whatnot, when they mentioned somethinig about "yes, but alcohol is very expensive here, and you have free-pour in the states" as they nodded at my drink, which i had to specifically ask (and pay for) a double shot of gin or vodka or whatever it was. to clarify, in the states, bartenders generally pour the liquor into the glass and estimate either by eyeballing it or by counting how much should go into a drink. in canada (and in strip clubs in the states--theoretically of course), they either have meters on the bottles or they pour the liquor into a shot glass before pouring into the drink, ensuring that they're not giving you a drop more than you pay for. i shrugged, thinking it was a small price to pay and probably in the long run didn't matter much.

last night, i went to the arsenal, which has been a local of sorts for me lately--and the first bar i'd been to since returning to the states. i got fairly loaded after three drinks. these were three free-poured happy hour drinks, which in total cost $9USD not including tip. it would cost much more than $9USD to get as "i can't drive anywhere for at least a little while" drunky as i got last night. compared to the watery crap they pass off as a cocktail in vancouver, maybe the states ain't so bad.