The pub – Britain’s second living room? - video Dailymotion

DW (English)

Like the Royals and football – pubs are a British institution. What makes them unique? And how should visitors behave?

Transcript

00:00How do British pubs work?

00:03Do you order at the table?

00:05Are you expected to tip?

00:07And when is closing time?

00:08Hi, I'm Ali Ross, the landlady at The Coach and Horses here in London and I will be here

00:14to help you understand what a British pub is all about.

00:17The Coach and Horses is located in the Soho district in central London.

00:21Many of its patrons stop by in the afternoon right after work, mainly on Thursdays or Fridays.

00:26There's a sense of a community in a British pub.

00:31It's a social thing where people can interact and let their hair down, relax.

00:37It's like an extended family.

00:39It's quite a British thing, any opportunity you can do, you go to the pub.

00:44So what should foreign visitors know before they go?

00:48We often get a lot of people from typically Europe come in and either ask for a free table

00:54or sit down at a table and wait to be served and this is not typical in England.

01:01Typically people go straight to the bar and order and then go to a table.

01:06But what to order?

01:07The different kinds of beer can be bewildering as some aren't known abroad.

01:12We'll start off with London Pride.

01:15It's a real ale or a hand-pulled ale.

01:18They're naturally carbonated, unlike lagers where CO2 is put into the barrel.

01:24And they have a little bit of a biscuity, malty finish.

01:28Let's try a lager.

01:30If people want something that's cold and refreshing and they don't want too much flavour maybe,

01:35they don't want anything that's too hot forward or they don't want a real ale that might be

01:39a little bit warmer, then go for a lager for sure.

01:44So here we have cider, a drink made from apples, the pressing and the fermentation of apples.

01:49If you're drinking pints over ice a lot of the time, people like it really super cold.

01:54Something that's very popular at the moment is Guinness.

01:58It is from Dublin, of course.

02:00The flavour is quite mellow for a stout and the texture is a little creamy, so it's actually

02:07quite pleasant on the palate.

02:09Beer is always ordered by the pint.

02:12One pint is just over half a litre.

02:14How many do folks typically drink?

02:17Somewhere between six and ten, probably.

02:19A few, but not too many, you need to know your limits, I suppose.

02:23I can be a power drinker when I want to, or I can just have a couple, like today.

02:28I've got seven or eight pints and go for dinner somewhere.

02:33Here are some do's and don'ts when ordering at the bar.

02:35You definitely don't want people waving in your face.

02:38It can be quite rude, actually, especially the waving of a card or money or something.

02:44So, yeah, just wait patiently for your turn and people are usually quite respectful of

02:49this in the pub.

02:50And here's another tip.

02:52You can't just go and buy a drink for yourself.

02:55If you're in a group of people, you offer to buy around.

02:58And if you don't, that stays with you for a long time.

03:00Oh, yeah.

03:01You are remembered as the person who doesn't do that.

03:03Yeah, and you're known as cheap and as bad.

03:05Also typical for a British pub, many of the regulars live nearby and the atmosphere is informal.

03:11That's also reflected in the decor.

03:13So, typically in British pubs, you'll find a lot of wood and then a mixture of textures

03:20as well.

03:21So, like here, we've got an Axminster carpet and the carpet sort of adds elements and an

03:27extension of the home, somewhere that's made for comfort.

03:30And, yeah, just a little bit more sort of familiarity maybe that you might find from your home.

03:38Something else to note?

03:39In pubs, you generally aren't expected to tip.

03:44A lot of our regular customers often buy the team drinks.

03:49But I think, you know, places like America, the tipping policy over there is completely different

03:55to how it is here.

03:56So, if we're offered a drink, then we'll just pop it on their bill, charge them accordingly

04:02and just print the receipt and leave it for later.

04:04So, we've got just a lot of receipts up there.

04:07Anyone who comes to a pub should also know when it's time to go.

04:1120 minutes to 11, we'll ring the bell for last orders and shout that out, last orders.

04:17And then again at 11 o'clock to mark the final closure, we'll ring the bell again.

04:23Guests aren't particularly always happy to leave.

04:25Obviously, you want to continue the party, but typically they'll, you know, finish up their

04:30pints promptly and be on their way.

04:34What's it like where you live?

04:36Where do you go to socialize?

04:38And what do you drink while you're there?

The pub – Britain’s second living room?

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