h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Pub etiquette - A2611649
Author: Freaky_deaky - U722152

I hope this is the sort of thing you are looking for.

AT LAST ! A subject where I am definately an expert.

Section1 - perhaps a note that the quality of the environment does not always reflect the quality of the refreshments.

Section 2 - perhaps a tip of holding a five pound note in your hand makes it clear you're wishing to purchase.

Section 4 - weird - its wierd - but its spelt weird.

/What about pub games ? Darts, Dommies, etc.

Great start!

In section 2, I'd change 'you need to give a brand name' to 'If you don't give a brand name the barman will probably serve you the least expensive bitter or lager'.

Section 8: Could do with being bulleted.

I'd add in the second sentence that some pubs are very appreciative when you take your empty glass back to the bar, as it means that they can spend more time serving at the bar.

This has the makings of a great entry, keep at it! I'm sure that plenty of other people will be in with suggestions soon.

Nice entry, FD!

You will need to reword the first person stuff to the third person - easily done - to meet the Writing-Guidelines. The days of the week need capital letters.

Nice one

One thing I would suggest is to amend the title to 'British Pub Etiquette' - just because the Guide is read by people all around the world.

I've recently had an entry accepted on my local (A2570177 - The Salisbury Public House, Harringay, London, UK) so I had a good look around the Edited Guide last month and know what's already in there. Surprisingly, and mercifully, there's not much overlap between your entry and what's already in the Guide, but it's probably worth taking a look at all this anyway just so you know what already exists.

Here's a bunch of entries that should be linked to when you mention the word in the entry:
A4960 - Alcohol

A1422 - Beer
A266762 - Real Ale
A266915 - Lager
A602939 - Scotch Whisky
A1155854 - Rum
A331084 - Gin (or A590384 - Gin and Tonic)
A132238 - Vodka
A103140 - Hangover cures

A245648 - Bar staff

If you're going to do a section on pub games, then these links might come in handy:
A1118503 - Pool - the Game
A462278 - Darts
A295418 - Dominoes
A158654 - Pub Quizzes
A1080244 - Ring the Horn - the Pub Game
A907472 - West Country Skittles, England, UK

There are also a few pub-related entries that might be worth linking to:
A845002 - Solitary Countryside Pub Crawls
A91298 - English Pub Names
A806005 - Pub Sign Cricket

Best of luck - it should be a cracking addition to the Guide if you carry on the way you've started.



Cheers,
Number Six

Question:
Should the implications of Looking At People or Spilling Someone's Pint be mentioned?

Great entry!

I thought it might look better with the section headings as subheaders?

Section 7 first sentence sounds a little odd. Perhaps something like 'Women alone, together or accompanied by a man'

How about a reference to 'How to tell that the public toilet you are in is not a nice one' A864911

Nice informative stuff!

Weirdly, weird is spelt weird. I know it looks weird, in fact it looks increasingly weird as I repeat it, but I've just checked, and weird it is.

Also the licence is spelt -- that way; license is the verb (in English English; yes, it is the other way round in the US).

And one other thing: the Michelin star deserves a capital M.

There is something terrific about the English local (nicely caught in Shaun of the Dead). Irish ones are missing some of that, but at least they are now non-smoky.

Very nice entry indeed, and I'll second everything that's already been said. A very comprehensive entry, but there are a few things missing.

How about pubs with more than one room? Much less common, especially in southern UK than in the north, but I think it deserves mention, especially as there still are certain rooms in certain pubs where women don't go, except for... ::AHEM:: a particular type of woman. I can think of six different names for pub rooms off the top of my head - tap room, vault, public bar, saloon bar, smoke room, and snug. What type of person would you expect to find in each room?

What are the age limits for pubs, and what are the rules governing children in pubs?

There are plenty of pubs where you're unlikely to get served when things are busy unless you *do* shout at the barstaff. Well, not exactly shout, but as they pass by with someone else's drinks, say something like 'A pint of Guinness when you're ready mate'.

4 should be spelled out - four. Anything in double figure and above can be written as a number.

Most pubs these days will give you a fresh glass for each pint, but it's by no means ubiquitous. It's still quite common to find a bartender filling up your old glass if you're having the same type of beer, unless you specifically ask for a fresh glass. Again, this is more common in the north.

Excellent entry And I can help you out with most of those points if necessary


Scout

"Bar staff are good at serving people in order - the person who has been waiting longest should be served next."

It could be mentioned that they aren't infallible, and if you're asked what you're buying before the guy next to you, and he's been waiting longer, it's considered good form to point this out to the bar staff. Ususally with a curt 'this guy's next'.

It's stood me in good stead, especially in a few rough pubs I've been in.

Ooh, this is very helpful, my family are all pub experts but I'm all at sea when I go in one AND a born worrier.

Rounds are the things which really puzzle me - for years I simply refused to be part of them in case I did something wrong, particularly when drinking with men, some (but not all) of whom have quite old-fashioned ideas about ladies not buying drinks - but that's their problem, isn't it? Do rounds operate the way they do regardless of the purchase price of each individual drink? I mean if somebody's drinking halves and somebody else is drinking *tries to think of extremely expensive drink* double whiskies, is that just ignored (on the grounds that in the grand scheme of things it will all even up somewhere in the galaxy at some time) or does it matter?

Mol

"and he's been waiting longer, it's considered good form to point this out to the bar staff"
At exceptionally busy times, barstaff will usually work their way from one end of the bar to the other and back again. If it's obvious that this is what's happening, you can usually get away with being served before someone else who's been there longer than you, but use your discretion depending on how busy the pub is, how long you've all been waiting (during the busiest times at the pub I worked at, it wasn't uncommon for people to be six deep at the bar and wait 20 minutes for service), and whether or not he's bigger than you

Let us know when you've made any updates

I have only two obserations to make. The men's toilets are invariably more convenient than the women's, and there's the little dance that you do when you are asking to borrow a chair. You say: Is this seat free?" And they say "No" meaning 'no, no one is sitting there, you can take it.' So you ask "Is this seat taken?" and they say "yes", meaning' yes it is free, you can take it'.

Or does that only happen to me?

I hope FD comes back, because this is a good entry which just needs some additions, as now covered comprehensively in the thread. If not it is easily completable by someone.

I would just add, if looking for a pub in a rough area that you don't know, then maybe give the ones you can't see into at all from the outside a miss...

I also concur with the different rooms bit - in areas where they get a lot of walkers, there will be a saloon bar that you can't go into with your boots on, and a bar that you can.

sprout

Well, the author appears to have Elvised, but (for some reason that I am quite unable to fathom) there is a fair amount of interest in this entry.

I propose a move to the Flea Market.


Geggs

Seconded

E-mailed

I like this game

There is something quietly satisfying about having a 'most recent conversations' list that is topped off by 20 or so PR threads, all suggesting moving stuff out to other places.

It kind of makes you feel that you're earning your badge