The British Pub Culture

Este fim-de-semana pedi emprestada uma pen drive à minha roomate Lorene. Precisava de transferir umas coisas entre portáteis e não tinha como. Tal não foi o meu espanto quando dei com uma pen carregada de ficheiros pessoais, entre os quais CV's, trabalhos para a business school, apresentações, e, claro, textos para o diário! Nada de mais, nada de íntimo, mas andei a matutar se passava para aqui um texto. Resolvi fazê-lo hoje:

In the summer of 2005, I went to London to find a job and I was lucky enough to be hired very quickly as a barmaid in a pub belonging to the chain “The Elephant and Castle”. It was a small pub located in a quiet street in Kensington where everyone knows everyone. It was a new experience for me. Indeed, it was the first time I was in close contact with British society.

Straightaway, I was welcomed with a pint of beer by the other barmaids and “regulars” that means people who drink there regularly. I immediately enjoyed the friendly, relaxed and cheerful atmosphere that the pub created. In that convivial ambiance, people were all chatting together, about weather, football that is one of the major attractions in pubs.
This recent experience as barmaid and my current experience as an Exchange Student in London is helping me discover and understand the English social life through a specific icon represented by “The Pub” that is not only a place for pints but one that it plays a social role.

According to Wikipedia, the word “pub” is defined as “a social place based on the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages”. From this definition, I will particularly focus my short reflection on the word “social”. Indeed, by working in that pub, I was surprised to see that going to a pub and drinking a pint of lager or bitter with friends or colleagues plays an integral part in the British lifestyle. Pubs seem to be the only place to hang out after a long working day or just to chat to a few friendly locals. In conclusion, as far as I am concerned, I truly think that going to British pubs is one of the fast ways to learn its culture.

E pronto! A cultura inglesa vista pelos olhos de uma francesa que já viveu na Nigéria. Foi assim. Afinal, um pub é sempre um pub!