Go to a bar in the states and you'll pretty much find a standard set-up: tall bar with stools situated around it, wall full of liquor and maybe a few other tables and chairs. A plain and simple watering hole.

But travel abroad and you won't find very many bars like this. I've spent time traveling around various cities in Japan and China, but know this to be true in many other places around the world as well. On a night out, people go restaurant-hopping instead.

Food and bar culture are intertwined in these places. In Spain, you'll be greeted with a plate of tapas to accompany your glass of wine. In Tokyo, you can expect small plates of skewers or fried dishes. Drinking food is its own cuisine.

The beauty of small plates is that you can eat at each spot you stop. Instead of going out to dinner, you start with some yakitori and beer, then move on to a different place and repeat.

Eating alongside your alcohol consumption just sounds healthier to me. Here, I overhear people talking about how they don't want to eat too much before going out because they're trying to get a good buzz. That just sounds like alcohol poisoning in the making. But also, eating a big meal and then going out drinking can lead to getting sick, too (or a major case of late-night "drunchies," in which you're stuck with limited options that are open).

Doesn't consistently eating and enjoying different foods throughout the night sound awesome?

You don't even really see bars in the US offering snacks anymore. You used to find a bowl of peanuts or pretzels on the counter top, but it seems as though that amenity has diminished. (I recently went to a bar that tried to sell me a small bowl of chips for $9.) But even if you go to a Westernized bar in Tokyo, that doesn't offer a full izakaya menu, your drink will often be accompanied by a variety of rice crackers, cheese and salami. All the fancier bars also have entire ham shanks to welcome you:

As a foodie, I vote in favor of altering our current drinking culture to one that is more food-centric. And never worry about where you're going to cure your "drunchies" again!