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When you get asked the same question repeatedly, you end up with a practised answer.
I like living in Serbia for lots of little reasons, but one night in particular stood out.
I wandered back from work, finishing after 22:00. I picked up a beer for less than €1, then noticed fireworks on the way home. A lot of Serbs like having fireworks for all sorts of celebrations, so I sat down at the building site outside my house, and drank the beer while watching the display.
That's five illegal things in Glasgow.
This infantilizing nonsense perpetually irked me in Glasgow, and living in a civilized society felt like a breath of fresh air.
The Serbs still have laws. If neighbours complain about noise, the police might pay you a visit. If you're behaving like a dick in public, same thing. But they seem to fundamentally not understand the notion of the state having things to say about sitting down, and having a quiet drink.
I remember the first time I went to Serbia, we'd drunk all the alcohol, so someone had to go to the shop. At 02:00 I went out with the group to make a purchase at the local shop. It was still working, so I bought a few cans, and as I was paying it struck me that if the residents of Glasgow had been there, they would have been shouting across the room, screaming about the low prices, and making a mountain out of the simple task of buying some cans.
I never understood why people in Glasgow do that. It feels good to live in a civilized country.
The Serbs in fact have similar laws to Glasgow. Smoking is prohibited inside. Alcohol may not be sold after 22:00. But they all just said 'no'.
Kiosks continued selling alcohol secretly. People talked with the bar owners, and agreed to split any fines the bar might face for having people smoke. Most of them don't even pay for buses.
The basic culture of 'inat' (it means something like 'spite', but with more teeth), seems to have preserved the dignity of the national character far more than Glasgow - a place I hope I never have to call 'home' again.