Pub Culture?

It's been a long day at the office. Your boss has gotten on your last nerve. You call up your best pal and head to a bar to forget your worries. You order a few shots, down a couple of beers, catch the final score of the basketball game, then leave. Just another night out, right?

WRONG. If you ever referred to going out to a bar (known here in Britain as a 'pub') as just another night out in front of a member of the U.K., I may just have to fear for your life. Why? Because a night out at the pub isn't just a fun thing to do on a Friday or Saturday night. It's a way of life...a culture, if you will.

London alone has over 8,000 pubs, and the people are very proud of them. You see, when you enter one of these amazing venues, you not only find hilarious drunken individuals, but you stumble upon camaraderie. It's like going to a black-tie event for your job, but with people you actually enjoy spending time with.

Pub culture offers more than just having a drink. For example, many pubs in London offer the option of singing karaoke while you're getting toasted. Others have trivia nights, so that you can test your knowledge of fun and random facts while intoxicated (provided that you can remember them). Moreover, according to an official pub website, citypublife.co.uk, some pubs even offer speed dating!

Now, the fact that pub culture has an official website lets you know how serious it is here. I'm sure there would be mass riots if even one of the 8,000 pubs in London shut down. Okay, so maybe it's not that serious, but you get the drift.

So the next time you go into a bar, realize that you're doing more than simply forgetting your problems...you're participating in a way of life. That way, if you've never been anywhere outside your city's limits, you can still tell your peers that you are cultured. Do try to visit an actual European pub, though. The experience is definitely unforgettable!

Darrion