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British Pub Etiquette And Customs
Visitors to Britain may find the best place to sample local culture is in a traditional pub. But these friendly hostelries1) can be minefields of potential gaffes2) for the uninitiated.
An anthropologist3) and a team of researchers have unveiled4) some of the arcane5) rituals of British pubs――starting with the difficulty of getting a drink. Most pubs have no waiters――you have to go to the bar to buy drinks. A group of Italian youths waiting ４５minutes before they realized they would have to fetch their own. This may sound inconvenient, but there is a hidden purpose.
Pub etiquette is designed to promote sociability in a society known for its reserve. Standing at the bar for service allows you to chat with others waiting to be served. The bar counter is possibly the only site in the British lsles in which friendly conversation with strangers is considered entirely appropriate and really quite normal behaviour. “If you haven’t been to a pub, you haven’t been to Britain. ”This tip can be found in a booklet, Passport to the Pub：The Tourists’ Guide to Pub Etiquette, a customers’ code of conduct for those wanting to sample“a central part of British life and culture. ”
The trouble is that if you do not follow the local rules, the experience may fall flat. For example, if you are in a big group, it is best if only one or two people go to buy the drinks. Nothing irritates the regular customers and bar staff more than a gang of strangers blocking all access to the bar while they chat and dither about what to order.
Amazingly for the British, who love queues, there is no formal line-up；the bar staff are skilled at knowing whose turn it is.
You are permitted to try to attract attention, but there are rules about how to do this. Do not call out, tap coins on the counter, snap your finger or wave like a drowning swimmer. Do not scowl6) or sigh or roll y our eyes. And whatever you do, do not ring the bell hanging behind the counter――this is used by the landlord to signal closing time. The key thing is to catch the bar worker’s eyes. You could also hold an empty glass or some money, but do not wave them about. Do adopt an expectant, hopeful, even slightly anxious facial expression. If you look too contented and complacent, the bar staff may assume you are already being served.
Always say“please”and try to remember some of the British bar staffs pet hates. They do not like people to keep others waiting while they make up their minds. They don’ t like people standing idly against the bar when there are a lot of customers wanting for service. And they do not like people who wait until the end of the order before asking for such drinks as Guinness stout7) which take considerably longer to pour than other drinks.
One Dutch tourist who spent six months visiting 800 of Britain’s 61,000 pubs and interviewing 50 publicans and bar workers and more than 1,000 customers said: “I cannot understand how the British ever manage to buy themselves a drink.” But they do, and if you follow these tips you should be able to do so, too.
Speaking of tips, you should never offer the bar staff a cash gratuity. The correct behaviour is to offer them a drink. Pubs pride themselves on their egalitarian8) atmosphere. A tip in cash would be a reminder of their service role, whereas the offer of a drink is a friendly gesture.
So now you have a drink, but what about meeting the locals? Pub-goers will indicate in unspoken ways if they are interested in chatting. Concentrate on those who have bought drinks and are still loitering9) at the bar. Those who have moved to sit at tables are probably not seeking company. Look for people with“open”body language, facing out-wards into the room. Don’t ever introduce yourself with an outstretched hand and a big smile. Natives will cringe and squirm with embarrassment at such brashness. The British, quite frankly, do not want to know your name and shake your hand--or at least not until a proper degree of mutual interest has been well established（like maybe when you marry their daughter）.
Talk generally about the weather, the beer or the pub and at an appropriate moment, offer to your new found companion a drink. This exchange is key to feeling part of the pub crowd and thereby getting to know more about Britain than its touists spots. The ritual of sharing――buying rounds of drinks in turn――is of great significance. This is because the British male is frightened of intimacy, finds it difficult to express friendly interest in other males and can be somewhat aggressive in his manner.
If you are having British friends or business contracts, one of your hosts will probably buy the first round, but you should be quick to offer the next. The right time to offer to buy a drink is when their glasses are still a quarter full. The line of “It’s my round――What are you having?” may not be in your phrase book, but it is one of the most useful sentences in the English language.
