The Pub Life
It was getting towards evening last night as we finished up a cigar and some whisky at a friend's place in Dublin. We had eaten a good dinner, and then finished it off with a peaty single malt (honestly, i've never been a big fan of the ultra-peaty whiskies) and some cuban cigars (which more than made up for the peaty whisky).
As we lounged about in the apartment debating the merits of various musical artists, I glanced at my watch and realized it was only around 10:30. The night was young, and I needed to take advantage of Dublin, so we all put on our coats and trudged down the block through the wet streets to the nearest pub. One of the amazing things about Dublin is that, no matter where you are, you're never more than a block from the nearest pub.
The pub was warm, friendly, and quite full. Now I've only been here under a week, but a night has yet to come when I do not go out to the pub in the evening. I'm willing to grant that this tendency towards the pub life grows partly out of my desire to experience Guiness in it's unadulterated state, and partly out of the perception that this is what I should be doing in Dublin, but to be honest I really enjoy the pub atmosphere. I can see why there are pubs everywhere, and they're always full (yes, even on a sunday night!).
The concept of the local pub is so different from your average American bar that they should not even be in the same league. About the only similarity is that they both serve alcohol over a counter. Pubs are warmly lit, have lots of comfy seating, and are often filled with people relaxing over a pint of beer. Hard alcohol is rarely served, with the exception of Jamesons whisky. People frequent the same pubs, so the clientele all know each other.
More to the point, it's the social friendly environment that draws people to the pubs. Many don't drink if they don't feel like it. You'll often see families in the pub eating a late informal dinner. Nobody is out to pick up girls/guys, the air is relaxed, and striking up a conversation with other people is normal and you rarely look for ulterior motives.
I tell you, it's so refreshing. It's great.
Of course, there's a downside to all this. Drinking is endemic here (although i did meet a nice irish girl the other day who does not drink!), and the pubs have to stop serving at 11:30 on weeknights so that people can get to work on time the next day.
Nevertheless, I certainly would not mind a smattering of this pub life in dear old SF, which really does not have enough of this. I'm tired of going to bars where I have to elbow three people and stand in line to get an overpriced drink, go hoarse trying to talk to friends over the blaring music, and getting drinks spilled on me due to the dim lighting.
No my friends, it's the pub life for me.
It was getting towards evening last night as we finished up a cigar and some whisky at a friend's place in Dublin. We had eaten a good dinner, and then finished it off with a peaty single malt (honestly, i've never been a big fan of the ultra-peaty whiskies) and some cuban cigars (which more than made up for the peaty whisky).
As we lounged about in the apartment debating the merits of various musical artists, I glanced at my watch and realized it was only around 10:30. The night was young, and I needed to take advantage of Dublin, so we all put on our coats and trudged down the block through the wet streets to the nearest pub. One of the amazing things about Dublin is that, no matter where you are, you're never more than a block from the nearest pub.
The pub was warm, friendly, and quite full. Now I've only been here under a week, but a night has yet to come when I do not go out to the pub in the evening. I'm willing to grant that this tendency towards the pub life grows partly out of my desire to experience Guiness in it's unadulterated state, and partly out of the perception that this is what I should be doing in Dublin, but to be honest I really enjoy the pub atmosphere. I can see why there are pubs everywhere, and they're always full (yes, even on a sunday night!).
The concept of the local pub is so different from your average American bar that they should not even be in the same league. About the only similarity is that they both serve alcohol over a counter. Pubs are warmly lit, have lots of comfy seating, and are often filled with people relaxing over a pint of beer. Hard alcohol is rarely served, with the exception of Jamesons whisky. People frequent the same pubs, so the clientele all know each other.
More to the point, it's the social friendly environment that draws people to the pubs. Many don't drink if they don't feel like it. You'll often see families in the pub eating a late informal dinner. Nobody is out to pick up girls/guys, the air is relaxed, and striking up a conversation with other people is normal and you rarely look for ulterior motives.
I tell you, it's so refreshing. It's great.
Of course, there's a downside to all this. Drinking is endemic here (although i did meet a nice irish girl the other day who does not drink!), and the pubs have to stop serving at 11:30 on weeknights so that people can get to work on time the next day.
Nevertheless, I certainly would not mind a smattering of this pub life in dear old SF, which really does not have enough of this. I'm tired of going to bars where I have to elbow three people and stand in line to get an overpriced drink, go hoarse trying to talk to friends over the blaring music, and getting drinks spilled on me due to the dim lighting.
No my friends, it's the pub life for me.
posted by slithytoves at 1:38 PM
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