July 3, 2004
Depressing culture
I was in Amsterdam briefly on Wednesday for a meeting, and found it incredibly civilised that the default size of beer served was a flute. Elsewhere, Ben Hammersley talks about the spread of Irish pubs and bars in general:
The Irish Pub Company say they've installed over 400 Irish Pubs in over 40 countries. [...] It's a curious phenomenon, and it makes me want to go to Dublin to find out what the pubs are really like.
On my way back, I stopped in the airport pub to kill some time and to keep an eye on the Holland-Portugal football match. I was filled with dread to note it had an Irish pub theme, and experienced mild culture shock when the barmaid asked me if I wanted a pint. Wait a minute! I'm still in Holland! What happened to those civilised drinks?
I can confirm that this pub was nothing like the ones I spent time in whilst in Dublin last year. The Dublin pubs were pleasant dark smoky drinking holes with a lively atmosphere and great Guinness. The pub in Schiphol airport was a noisy, lacklustre place with unattractive furnishings and vomit all over the toilets. But then the pub was full of English football hooligans, so perhaps that explains it. I wonder if The Irish Pub Company installs them as part of the theme?
Posted by savs at July 3, 2004 6:03 PM