Talking Dutch: Is Bruges zot?
Bruges has called on its citizens to give up alcohol for 30 days, and the mayor is reluctantly joining in
Derek Blyth on giving up the drink
De stad Brugge roept haar inwoners op dertig dagen geen druppel alcohol aan te raken – the city of Bruges has called on its residents to go for 30 days without touching a drop of alcohol, De Morgen reported.
Zelfs enkele cafés en restaurants doen mee en zetten hun aperitieven zonder alcohol bovenaan de kaart – Some cafes and restaurants are going so far as to put alcohol-free aperitifs at the top of the menu.
The initiative was inspired by successful campaigns in other European countries, like Dry January in the UK. Het is niet zo dat de Britten achteraf gaan bingedrinken – Brits don’t then go binge drinking afterwards, said Marijs Geirnaert of De Vereniging voor Alcohol- en andere Drugproblemen (the Association for Alcohol and other Drug Problems).
Integendeel – on the contrary, tot zes maanden na de ‘droge maand’ – up to six months after the “dry month”, drinken ze minder – they drink less.
And there are other benefits, too. Op korte termijn slapen mensen beter – in the short term, people sleep better, voelen ze zich fitter – they feel more fit, en verliezen ze enkele kilo’s – and they shed a few kilos.
A glass a day
But the city hasn’t managed to convince everyone of the need to sober up. Brugs Burgemeester Renaat Landuyt is niet erg enthousiast – Bruges mayor Renaat Landuyt is not really keen on the idea. Dit is mijn ding niet – this is not my thing, he told the press. Ik drink graag mijn pintje of mijn wijntje – I enjoy my glass of beer or wine, he confessed.
He isn’t even convinced of the health benefits. Ik hecht gewoon veel belang aan wetenschappers die zeggen dat één glas per dag goed is – I am inclined to put a lot of trust in those scientists who say that one glass a day is good for you.
But he’s still going to have to cut out alcohol at some point because he made a rash promise. Als er duizend mensen intekenen op dagen zonder alcohol – if 1,000 people sign up to the alcohol-free days, zou Landuyt zeven dagen meedoen – then Landuyt will do it for seven days. Dat aantal werd gehaald – that figure has been reached, en dus zal Landuyt die belofte nakomen – and so Landuyt will keep his promise.
This doesn’t mean Bruges is going to become a beer-free city. Op de evenementen van de stad zal de drank blijven vloeien – the drink will still flow at the city’s official events, the mayor insisted. Daar blijven ze Brugse Zot serveren – they’re not going to stop serving Brugse Zot.
We can all drink to that.
