East v West: growth and maturity in Europe

摘要

Amazingly it is now more than18 years on since the dramatic scenes of November 1989, when the world watched as Germans from East and West tore down the Berlin Wall that had come to symbolise the divide between Communist East Europe and West Europe. The demise of the wall was the catalyst for the opening of the Iron Curtains and the dismantling of the Soviet Union. Today the process of integration is at an advanced stage with as many as ten former Eastern Block markets all now part of the European Union. The cultural boundaries between East and West are becoming less pronounced, but how is this reflected in their drinking habits?