Sujeet
http://www.dawn.com/weekly/mazdak/mazdak.htm
The Dawn, Pakistan
The rise and fall of the British pub
By Irfan Husain
THE local pub is a quintessentially British institution that does not have a counterpart anywhere else in the world. There are bars, bistros and cafes in other places, but the pub has come to occupy a special place in cities and villages across the UK. Of late, however, alarm bells have been ringing as closures gather pace.
According to the British Beer and Pub Association, an average of 27 pubs are shutting each week, with 1,409 closing last year. Rob Hayward, chief executive of the BBPA, was gloomy about the prospects of pubs: "A vital part of the British economic and social life is under the most severe strain it has faced for decades."
Mike Benner, chief executive of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), made this plea: "We ask those who are seeking to demolish a pub, or convert a pub for financial gain, to pause and spare a thought for the effect this will have on the local community."
Over the years, a combination of factors has tilted the balance against this venerable institution. While taxes, wages, insurance rates and safety requirements have pushed up operating costs, it is becoming increasingly difficult to pass on all these costs to customers. As it is, a pint of beer in a supermarket costs over a third of what you might have to pay in the average pub. Tough drink-driving laws have forced many people to take public transport to pubs when they would have driven earlier. With buses not running late in the evening on most routes, many people have limited their visits to the pub.
The recent ban on smoking in public spaces across Britain has also led to the exodus from pubs. Indeed, many smokers step outside for a cigarette, but in cold and rainy weather, you would have to be pretty desperate for a nicotine fix. A lot of older regulars were driven away by loud music or football matches on TV. Weekend binge drinking by 'lager louts' also made the experience of visiting the local pub an unpleasant one.
And yet, pubs in rural Britain are some of the most picturesque anywhere. Old stone structures with wooden beams and floors have been attracting villagers for centuries, and dispense local ales and beers from casks. Here in Devizes, Wadsworth, the local brewery, delivers its products on a carriage pulled by a pair of enormous Shire horses driven by footmen in top hats and tails. And when the wind is blowing towards us, the rich aroma of hops is unmistakable.
To overcome their difficulties, some pubs have reinvented themselves as 'gastropubs' where the menus are as extensive as in many restaurants, and the food often far better. The nearby George and Dragon is a case in point. Getting fresh fish every day from Cornwall, the pub has been mentioned in many food guides. In the winter, when a log fire is roaring in a huge fireplace, you could find few places as convivial. Other pubs serve Thai, Indian and Spanish food to a discerning clientele.
In the summer, remote pubs next to streams, canals, or rivers draw customers from afar as you can sit in the garden with your pint, your children and your dog. A pub I know in Dorset has been around for over five hundred years, and boasts a wide selection of local ales. It's hard to get a table there in any season.
Most pubs in England are owned by huge conglomerates that supply their own brews, and supervise the operation. These chains are tied into breweries and caterers, and strive to maintain a certain standard. But more often than not, they are bland and characterless. It is the 'freehold' pubs that can provide a wider range of local products, and often have far better food.
Given the cost of drinking in pubs, as well as the ban on smoking, more and more people are opting to buy their booze from off-license shops or the supermarket and drink at home. Of course, the club atmosphere of the local pub is being lost. For centuries, people have gathered here to discuss the issues of the day, the progress of the local cricket or football team, or just the weather. If the current trend persists, we may be witnessing the death of a vital element of British life.
After a long day at work, many Brits drift into the local pub to have a pint with their mates before heading home. This social interaction outside the work place forges bonds that often last a lifetime.
But Muslim colleagues, usually being teetotallers, do not participate, and are seen as stand-offish. Many hardline Muslims believe it is forbidden to even enter pubs, even if they just sip at a Coke or a fruit juice. This rigid attitude has not helped in improving inter-community relations.
But one shouldn't over-romanticise pubs either. All too often, they smell of stale cigarettes and can be very noisy places. While the ban on tobacco has improved air quality, the loud music or TV sports commentary can make normal conversation next to impossible. And many pubs still serve that hoary old favourite of bangers and mash, with the sausages containing bits of beasts that died long after their prime. City pubs are more likely to offer such poor fare, and tourists are the usual victims.
For centuries, inns provided travellers a bed and food, while their horses were stabled next door. These were often raucous, unhygienic places where guests were occasionally robbed, and prostitutes plied their trade.
Over time, they were cleaned up, and became family centres for locals. Now, they play a variety of roles, and their demise would deal the British way of life a cruel blow.
The good news is that there are around 60,000 pubs still operating across these isles. Long may they prosper.
-- My humanity is in feeling we are all voices of the same poverty. - Jorge Louis Borges