Old pubs and drinking culture

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ColinL
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Old pubs and drinking culture

Postby ColinL » Thu Oct 31, 2019 8:06 am

As a youth (of legal age) going into a pub for a drink and something to eat at lunch time was an enjoyable relaxing experience. I used to drink lager and a refreshing half pint along with some food that is rarely on a menu, then or now; that of Welsh Rarebit and chips at the Dripping Well (It might have been next to it on Dorset Place) was great. Reading a newspaper. Now youths seem to be quite happy to go into Subway and eat off paper in the quickest possible time. Maybe it is necessary to eat it quick because then they won't realise it is poor.

What is possibly worse is expensive burger places, such as Five Guys that we have up here. Again it is eaten off paper wrapping on melamine tables and no cutlery in sight I understand . A basic burger is I think £15. People rush in gobble food and rush out again. Many pubs in the town centre are long gone and most are run down. Why would people go out socially in the evening, if they can buy 12 cans from a supermarket for a few pounds, not have to actually talk to someone, but spend time on social media they never meet or even want to meet. Articles tell me that although under 25s often want the latest fashion phone they rarely use them to actually physically talk to another human being.

What will life be 40 yrs later?

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Richard
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Re: Old pubs and drinking culture

Postby Richard » Thu Oct 31, 2019 10:54 am

Welsh Rarebit sounds divine.
I find it odd that kids gobble up MacDonald, Wimpy and Kentucky chicken stuff.
The Americans habits spread wide as usual.
Not sure about paying £15 for a basic burger! Byron's seems steep enough to me.

https://burgerlad.com/p/menu-prices/

Instant gratification is not good for much really except the purveyors.
But look at how kids are typically allowed to eat meals in their room on their own, whereas we used to eat around a family table and discuss the events of the day, had poor manners corrected, etcetera.

whiffler
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Re: Old pubs and drinking culture

Postby whiffler » Thu Oct 31, 2019 6:18 pm

When working weekends at the new Sainsbury supermarket, would dash down to clock out and head to the Clarence for Saturday lunch.

Usually four pints, then round to the chippy in Station Rd for one of Bernie's special beano-burger & chips.

Consume this en route to the shop via the multi-storey entrance.


Notes for editors

1. after 2yrs of this, one of our number asked to rent the function room ... for his 18th birthday next month. This was allowed, and drinks continued. Well, we were regulars.

2. beano burger was bread, cooked burger, some baked beans, bread - all dipped in batter and deep fried

3. all the above was 60mins clock-out to clock-in

4. When on the tills, there was a Tea-relief during the week (your till was covered for 15mins, the cover then went along the tills in turn), but not on Saturday as the shop closed at 4. They soon realised that a Pee-relief was required for some of us, just 5mins mind. Bliss

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ColinL
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Re: Old pubs and drinking culture

Postby ColinL » Fri Nov 01, 2019 12:21 pm

The beano burger sounds revolting as does four pints and then you sitting on checkouts. Was that before barcodes? God knows what prices you charged people if you input manually into the till.

In Scotland they still have deep fried piźza and deep fried Mars bars, but then they don't know of the existence of fruut and veg according to many! Was there a Station Rd chippy or do you mean Middle St?

whiffler
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Re: Old pubs and drinking culture

Postby whiffler » Fri Nov 01, 2019 4:52 pm

It was Station Rd, 3 or 4 doors down from Haig House. This was 1974-6

Bar codes were in use, but only for ordering by the branch. I once answered a phone in the warehouse area, only to get a stream of bips & burbles. Obviously this was a modem, and there was a bit of a hoo-haa as the order had to be resubmitted.

Tills had 3 buttons - Meat, Provisions (deli, dairy, greengrocery etc IIRC), and General. The amount was keyed (pushed buttons), the produce type (as before), and another to commit the item.

Each & every item had to be done (nothing like 4 tins of beans), and I was so fast (with others) that we had people packing for us. Attention had to be given to soft goods being damaged by the belt, glass not breaking etc etc

Given that we had to learn all the offer prices and look for tickets at the beginning of Thu or Fri evening, and we were audited occasionally without issue, I can only be bemused at how slow (and inaccurate) things can be now.

Great fun, but I declined a Managerial course for permanent work elsewhere.

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ColinL
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Re: Old pubs and drinking culture

Postby ColinL » Fri Nov 01, 2019 5:16 pm

Had a look at a map from that period and have no memory of that chippy at all. Married by then and eating meals at home. Did use the tiny pub in Russell St during the week or Central or Stag at weekends. However of the time, going out for a meal (not a quick burger) of steak, chips, onion
rings and mushrooms or Gammon and pineapple followed by Black Forest Gateau in High St. Such sophistication!

cbe
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Re: Old pubs and drinking culture

Postby cbe » Sun Nov 03, 2019 8:38 am

It sounds whiffler from the description you give, bips and burbles, as though that was a fax line.
Do people still send faxes now ?

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Richard
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Re: Old pubs and drinking culture

Postby Richard » Wed Nov 06, 2019 8:27 am

The NHS still use faxes widely - it is secure whereas emails can be hacked unless encrypted, which takes time and is seen as fiddly.

whiffler
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Re: Old pubs and drinking culture

Postby whiffler » Thu Nov 07, 2019 8:35 am

Data transmissions will sound the same. Fax is effectively a modem

There was no fax machine at that pointin the area.

cbe
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Re: Old pubs and drinking culture

Postby cbe » Thu Nov 07, 2019 2:09 pm

Right whiffler - the sound just rang a Bell (ouch) with me from my
days regularly getting the lines mixed up


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