How are you? Jolly good.
My name is Charlie and I am a true lover of the conviviality of a British pub. The pub holds a unique place in the British psyche as it is one of the great sanctuaries of conversation and chatter. In the street, on the train, at work, striking up a conversation, even with a close friend, often feels awkward, difficult, restricted.
Yet at the pub, settled down with a pint in your hand and a friend at your side, you can feel all unease fade away. There is an informality to a pub that appeals to us all: the scrum at the bar, people perching on each other's tables or vague groups just standing around.
This informality and sense of ease is no doubt down largely to the alcohol, that famous social lubricant that the British have been renowned for enjoying since Julius Caesar wrote back to Rome, stunned at our propensity for the fermentation of grape and grain. But alcohol is available elsewhere, in shops, in clubs and trendy vodka bars. Yet none of these places offers the same safety we feel when settled down for a nice drink.
I have met people at nightclubs, gigs and raves but the volume of music, the frenetic pace of the evening and the sheer inebriation of most of the people there has meant that it has never felt like anything more than a bump in the dark. Talking to a stranger in a pub yields far more interesting stories and reinvigorates your perception of the world as a place full of fascinating people.
As someone who has worked behind a bar throughout the four years of my student life, I have had the pleasure of talking to some truly remarkable people with remarkable tales. This blog will be a weekly reflection of some of the most interesting people I have met in pubs and hopes to inspire those who read it to chat to the person next to you while you’re waiting to be served or to wander alone into a pub and see where it takes you. It will also feature reviews of said pubs where I met these peculiar characters. I hope you enjoy.
All the best,
Charlie
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