English Pub

The English pub is a lot more than just a bar where people go to drink. For centuries the pub has been where people come to with their friends and relax in their free time? And today the pub is often the centre of the community in which it is situated, attracting men and women, young and old to enjoy the unique atmosphere on offer.

The origin of the word ‘pub’ gives us a clue as to how it came into being. ‘Pub’ is a shortened form of ‘Public House,’ and this is how the pub started. In old rural England, rather than each person visiting their friends separately, one house would open in the evenings, and all the people would gather there to meet their friends, chat about their day and the news of the time, and relax after a hard day's work. Over time, this public house became more and more central to the life of the village, and the modern pub was born. The person who owned the house where people gathered became known as the landlord, or, if female, the landlady. Licensing laws¹ were introduced early on to limit the hours of business, and pubs to this day are open from 11a.m. to 11 p.m. Very recently, people have suggested that these hours be extended to be more like the rest of Europe, where there are no restrictions, but many people think that this would be a bad change for safety reasons. There has been a lot of protest in England as people are so connected to the traditional opening times and do not want to change their habits. At the moment the old licensing hours are still in place.

Through its centuries of development, the pub has acquired lots of varied traditions, and become a central part of many English people's lives. Today, there is a pub in nearly every residential street in England, and they are as popular as ever. As before, the main function of the pub is to give people a place to meet with everyone they know from the local community. Many people go to the pub every evening, after dinner, to chat with their friends and to relax. The nearest pub to a person's house is called his 'local,' and here they will know the landlord, the landlady, and the people who often go there, the 'regulars.' The landlord will often even know which drinks the regulars like best, so on entering your local, you can just ask for 'the usual' and you will get your favourite drink. The most popular drink is bitter, also known as ale, which is a kind of beer that is less fizzy² than normal beer, and is kept at room temperature. This is served in pint glasses (an old Engfiish measurement, a bit more than half a litre), which are always filled right up to the top, with a varying amount of froth, or 'head' on top, according to how the customer likes it. All pubs sell a wide range of drinks, and usually some bar snacks, for example crisps³ and nuts. Many pubs also have a full menu of main dishes, which usually consists of simple, traditional, tasty food, at cheap prices. People often go for a 'pub lunch' with their colleagues, and many pubs are full at lunchtime as well as in the evening. The origin of pubs as simply a house where people meet is reflected in their appearance. Often from the outside a pub will just look like an ordinary house, with just a sign displaying the name to tell people that it is actually a public, and not a private house. Inside, the furniture usually consists of the kind of comfy chairs and sofas that are often found in people's own sitting rooms. There are often pictures of local places on the walls, and sometimes even a wood fire burning in winter. The interior is designed to make people feel as comfortable as possible, as comfortable as if they were in their own house.

People do not have to just sit and talk though. There is always music playing, and often a juke box, where you can pay a small amount of money to play your favourite songs from a selection offered. Pub games are also very popular. Darts is one of the most popular, a game in which people throw small pointed darts at a round board about two metres away, and score different amounts of points depending on which area they hit. This game looks fairly easy, but is actually very hard, and takes a lot of practice (the regulars are often very good darts players!). Snooker⁵ is also very popular, and pool, which is a simpler, easier version of snooker, which takes less time to play and is more popular with young people. Many people will go to the pub just to play a few games of pool, and often play with complete strangers -the loser has to pay for the game. Table football is also popular, and sometimes board games can be borrowed from the bar to play whilst you sit with your friends. There is often a selection of daily newspapers for the customers to read, and sometimes a few books. A television with a big screen is becoming more and more popular, and groups of friends often meet in pubs to watch football matches or horse races. During an England football match all the pubs are full of supporters cheering their team on.

All pubs have a name. Sometimes this is connected to a historical figure, for example ‘The Wellington’ and ‘The Salisbury’ after famous English military leaders. Sometimes it will be named after a geographical feature in the area, perhaps a river or a lake. Sometimes the name seems to have nothing to do with anything, and actually sounds quite funny. Some of the most popular names are ‘The Three Arrows,’ The Brown Cow,’ ‘The White Horse’ and ‘The Red Lion.' So don't be surprised if an English person says he is ‘going for a pint in the Cow!’

Many other coun­tries have tried to imitate the English pub, for example there is a ‘Red Lion’ in St Peters­burg, and a ‘Dick­ens Pub’ in Samara. They may recreate the out­ward appearance, and inside they may have similar furniture, and simi­lar drinks, but the atmosphere is un­likely to be any­thing like walking into your local En­glish pub, where you know every­body, including the landlord, and you can relax with your friends almost as if you were at home.

Licensing laws – (брит.) закон о торговле спиртными напитками.

Fizzy – (разг.) шипучий.

Crisps – чипсы (хрустящий картофель)

Juke box – музыкальный автомат (в настоящее время CD)

Snooker, pool – виды игры на бильярде.

(School English, March, 2005 #3 (115), pp 8-9)

ADDITIONAL TEXT 2

Food can be dangerous for your health!

Before you read:

Do you think food can be dangerous? Why?

When you go to a restaurant you often think that the food you are ordering is good for you. But many restaurants serve healthy food, like fish or salad, with a sauce or dressing that uses a lot of oil, fat, or sugar. The British Food Standards Agency wants all restaurants to say in their menus exactly what is in each dish, how many calories, how much fat, and what additives. They think that restaurants don’t give their customers enough information, and that this new plan could help people to have a healthier diet.

But chefs are not happy with the Agency’s plan. One top chef said, People are not stupid. They know that many sauces have butter and cream in them. But if we put on a menu that a dish has 1,000 calories, nobody is going to order it!’

However, many doctors agree with the plan. Bruce Ward, Professor of Medicine, said, ‘People know that cigarettes are bad for them, because it tells you on the packet. But when they go to a restaurant they often have no idea if the food is healthy or not. Food products that have a lot of calories, fat, and sugar need a health warning, exactly like cigarettes.’