At BC, sake is particularly popular with underclassmen because several Japanese restaurants in Boston do not ask for identification to verify that the patrons are of legal drinking age. Takemura in Harvard Square is especially infamous for its lax carding policy. Several BC sophomores noted going there to drink sake several times and never being carded. It also owes part of its notoriety to its location in an underground lair, requiring patrons to descend several flights of stairs into the main dining room.
"I even went to one place that said as long as one person at the table was 21, it was okay," said Elizabeth Pullum, CSOM '07. "Sake bombing's fun in itself, but I think most underclassmen go because they don't get carded. It's a way to get off campus and drink. I think the fun of it dies off as you get older."
Chris Brown, A&S '07, also enjoyed sake bombing in the heyday of Takemura. "It was great because you could buy alcohol and drink in a public place. It's great to get out of the dorm and have an alternative to a bar for the people who don't have IDs. I think of it as a great freshman year thing."
Mike Boyle, CSOM '07, enjoys sake bombing for the unique atmosphere: "It becomes a drinking game that's different because it's in between a bar and a restaurant. We usually like to go for someone's birthday."
"It has the same appeal as beer pong," said Julie Carlin, A&S '07. "It's a competition for who can chug the fastest, and supposedly, warm sake and cold beer makes you drunk faster." Carlin has sampled several sake joints, and she noted, "I remember some really sketchy places by BU where the sake was in plastic cups. I like the places where it's a multi-table affair, which makes it a way to make new friends. I had this great night where we hung out with these Harvard people during their spring break when we were over in Cambridge."
"However, I usually am not the one bombing," she said with a laugh. "Those things screw you over."
Spring Break
