Puoi ascoltare questo podcast e leggere contemporaneamente la trascrizione. Ma prima di seguire la trascrizione ti invito ad ascoltare senza leggere. Con un approccio positivo e curioso, accetta il fatto che non capirai tutto all’inizio, cerca di intuire il significato, poi dopo leggi la trascrizione per arrivare ad una comprensione completa. Buon ascolto!

What does ‘pub’ mean?

During the Middle Ages, beer was the most common drink in Great Britain and ever since it has been consumed every single day. The success of ‘the pub’ is due to the ‘beerhouse law’ created in 1830. After paying for a licence, which cost around 2 euros at today’s prices, you could legally brew and sell your own beer from a private or public house.

Pubs have beautiful names and signs

Pub names usually don’t include the name of the owner, they relate directly to a local historical event or place, people, animals or things. There are hundreds of different pub names in the UK, some common ones are: The Red Lion, The Royal Oak, The Crown, The White Horse, The Kings Head, The Swan, The Prince of Wales, The Plough, The Blacksmith, The Fox and Hounds, The Coach and Horses, and many others. 
The signs are usually hung outside the pub on a large board with a colourful illustration.

The pub is a community

For many towns and villages the local pub is a very important aspect of the community. You go to the pub not only to “have a pint”, but also to catch up with your friends and family. You can play traditional pub games like cards, dominos, pool or darts. Musical events such as DJs, karaoke and quiz nights have become popular in recent years, but smaller pubs often avoid loud music to maintain a quiet social atmosphere.

In the pub you order at the bar

To order drinks, snacks or food in a pub you need to go to the bar and wait your turn. While you wait your turn you will have time to choose from a large number of beers and soft drinks on offer. In the UK it’s not possible to simply order ‘a blonde’ (una bionda) – they would think that you mean a blonde haired woman, which would result in a laugh – or ‘a dark beer’ (una birra scura). The barman will want to know exactly which beer you would like. To make your choice, ask the barman about the different tastes and strengths of the beers they have, don’t be embarrassed, he will be happy to assist you.

The three most common types of beer are

Bitter: which is a dark beer available in varying strengths of alcohol.
Mild: which was once a cheap alternative to bitter, it has a lower alcohol level of around 3%. It looks a bit like tea.
Stout: which is a very dark and heavy beer, an example is the world famous Guinness.

These three types of beer (Bitter, Mild and Stout)  are also known as ‘ale’.
They are flat beers and not served chilled but at room temperature.

Lager is the most popular light and fizzy type beer in Europe, but it’s not considered ‘ale’, because it’s brewed in a different way and served chilled.

How to order at the bar

When the barman makes direct eye contact with you, that’s your cue to order. You ask for ‘a half’ (in Ireland also called ‘a glass’) or ‘a pint’. For example: “I’d like a pint of Old Speckled Hen, please.” 
In a traditional pub, the barman ‘pulls a pint’ using a tall wooden leaver. These “hand-pumps” are used to physically pump the beer up from the cellar to the bar above. Watching a good barman “pulling a pint” of real ale in this traditional method is a glorious sight.
Then you pay the barman, take your drinks and find a seat. If you are in a rural area and the weather is good you can often take your drinks outside into a beer garden. 

If you’re hungry you can get some crisps or maybe some food!   

If you’re feeling peckish, with a pint of beer you can always buy a bag of crisps. My favourite flavours are Cheese and Onion, Salt and Vinegar and Prawn Cocktail.
If you’re feeling really hungry, the pub may “do food”, which could range from a simple jacket potato or  a savoury pie, to a carvery with roast meat and vegetables. “Having a pub meal” isn’t like eating in a restaurant, because it’s a lot more informal. Many families enjoy going out to a pub with ‘a carvery’ for a Sunday roast dinner.

So the next time you’re in the UK or Ireland don’t miss this age old tradition of going to the pub!