NY Times: "Saving an Endangered British Species: The Pub"

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by spoony, Feb 18, 2014.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. marquis

    marquis Pooh-Bah (2,301) Nov 20, 2005 England
    Pooh-Bah Society

    AlienSwineFlu likes this.
  2. kdb150

    kdb150 Initiate (0) Mar 8, 2012 Pennsylvania

    Hmmm. Privatizing/deregulation turning a cherished institution over to a corporate oligopoly that is slowly selling it off to the highest bidder, communities or public will be damned. Perhaps there is a lesson to be learned there?
     
  3. Tut

    Tut Initiate (0) Sep 23, 2004 New York

    It's impossible to have an "authentic" British pub outside of Britain. Even the best are just Disney World caricatures of the real thing.
     
    jesskidden and rozzom like this.
  4. Tut

    Tut Initiate (0) Sep 23, 2004 New York

    Relax. It's a very real problem, but there's an alarmist element to the story as well. I travel there often, with my most recent visit last summer. I always have plenty of choices of good cask ale pubs to enjoy wherever I am. Many are historic gems. If I'm in a city of any size, my only problem is not having nearly enough time to visit them all.
     
    herrburgess likes this.
  5. Providence

    Providence Pooh-Bah (2,628) Feb 24, 2010 Rhode Island
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    That's certainly encouraging, however given the fact that I may not make it to England for many years, I am still concerned with this trend. Obviously I don't think they'll be extinct, especially given what you and others have said, but even if they are not as ubiquitous as they once were, it's still a shame.
     
    Tut likes this.
  6. dennis3951

    dennis3951 Initiate (0) Mar 6, 2008 New Jersey

    Expect for the cask Ale what is so great about a British pub?
     
  7. Tut

    Tut Initiate (0) Sep 23, 2004 New York

    I love Edinburgh and it's many wonderful pubs. Bennett's Bar and Leslie's among many great ones.
     
    Zimbo and rozzom like this.
  8. Tut

    Tut Initiate (0) Sep 23, 2004 New York

    Only someone who has never experienced one would ask that. I can't effectively explain it. A combination of history, tradition, architecture, atmosphere, culture, and craic. Go there and find out. It can't be exported.
     
  9. steveh

    steveh Grand Pooh-Bah (4,030) Oct 8, 2003 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Though I do expect it too... Except for cask ale? Camaraderie, ambiance, relaxation, fellowship -- many of the same things we used to have at corner taverns here in the U.S. Of course, there's also good pub food at the spots that serve -- I certainly had no qualms at enjoying the food as a good cask ale balance.

    Spending an afternoon in an English pub -- large or small, is something all BAs should experience.

    @Providence -- this means you! Get yourself over to London for a long weekend and wander around -- you're much closer than I. Book a room at the Tavistock and hike around the corner to the Friend at Hand and say hello for me. First English pub I ever visited and I'll never forget.
     
    StuartCarter, chinochino, Tut and 2 others like this.
  10. steveh

    steveh Grand Pooh-Bah (4,030) Oct 8, 2003 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Oh man -- flirting with cross-cultural trouble there! :wink: But the English must have a word for it too...

    Well said.
     
    russpowell and Tut like this.
  11. rozzom

    rozzom Pooh-Bah (2,534) Jan 22, 2011 New York
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Banter?
     
  12. kdb150

    kdb150 Initiate (0) Mar 8, 2012 Pennsylvania

    The experience. Having a hand-pulled pint in a centuries old stone building, complete with low archways and weird little rooms branching off the main is an exprience I'll never forget, and certainly one that can't be replicated in the U.S.
     
    StuartCarter likes this.
  13. steveh

    steveh Grand Pooh-Bah (4,030) Oct 8, 2003 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Eh... Craic is more than banter, it's equivalent to the German Gemütlichkeit in that the definition is more of a feeling than just words.

    But I see that Craic has origins in Northern England and Southern Scotland too, so I suppose use in traditional English pub explanation is acceptable.
     
    Tut likes this.
  14. Tut

    Tut Initiate (0) Sep 23, 2004 New York

    There's craic in a good English pub - it's just more reserved and proper. :wink:
     
    russpowell, WD_Eisemann and steveh like this.
  15. steveh

    steveh Grand Pooh-Bah (4,030) Oct 8, 2003 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Salisbury, The Haunch of Venison.
     
  16. steveh

    steveh Grand Pooh-Bah (4,030) Oct 8, 2003 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Society

    You obviously haven't been to some of the English pubs I visited... or the Irish pubs! :grinning:
     
    Tut likes this.
  17. rozzom

    rozzom Pooh-Bah (2,534) Jan 22, 2011 New York
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    hey man - was just trying to come up with something
     
    Tut and steveh like this.
  18. steveh

    steveh Grand Pooh-Bah (4,030) Oct 8, 2003 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Society

    And it's obvious you've been there to do that, to which I say again: Spending an afternoon in an English pub -- large or small, is something all BAs should experience.
     
    Tut and rozzom like this.
  19. Tut

    Tut Initiate (0) Sep 23, 2004 New York

    An evening session is always better.
     
  20. marquis

    marquis Pooh-Bah (2,301) Nov 20, 2005 England
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Not the typical English pub but being only six miles from my home I know it well :slight_smile:

    The first 55 seconds or so are not really relevant
     
    #40 marquis, Feb 18, 2014
    Last edited: Feb 18, 2014
    russpowell and admiral like this.
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.