An American user of the site Reddit has been left utterly dumbfounded by what is possibly the most British tradition out there: a good old trip to the local pub.
Now just to be clear after editing their original post, the user clarified that they ‘understand pubs are a real thing.’ However, they noted that in movies from the 90s Americans are shown to be at the mall constantly when realistically they would only go a few times per month.
The post originally surfaced in Ask the United Kingdom which is labeled as ‘the #1 subreddit for Brits and non-Brits to ask questions about all topics around the United Kingdom.’ The user asked a question which from a British perspective isn’t really a question: ‘ Is ‘going to the pub’ a real thing in the UK?’ Of course, it is!
The post went on to explain that UK-based films and TV shows make it seem like British people ‘ go to the pub fairly regularly and it’s a normal thing to do’. The user wanted to determine whether or not this is the reality.
They noted: ‘ For example, here in the US if you go to bars multiple times a week and mentioned this to people they might think you are an alcoholic- which is fair because at a lot of bars the only people there that are regularly there during quiet times really are alcoholics ( as in they are drunk a lot of the time.)
‘But it seems like in the UK people might go to the pub regularly and not be an alcoholic. What’s the reality, do actual UK people “ go to the pub” once or twice a month usually? Or do people really “go to the pub” all the time?’
A recent survey found that as of December 31, 2020, 28% of British adults reported going to the pub fortnightly for food and drink. 10% visited pubs once a week or more. Notably, more than half said they never went to the pub. As this is only a sample of the population though we need to take these numbers with a pinch of salt. Like most things, it depends who you ask.
Back on Reddit, the user received plenty of answers advocating for the central role of pubs in British culture.
One user said: ‘ If you know your local boozer then you end up knowing everyone in there and you can pop down there when you’re bored because you know they’ll be someone you can chat to for a bit. I bloody LOVE the pub and don’t fully trust people who don’t !’
While visiting the pub may be a dying tradition thanks to cheaper booze in the supermarkets I don’t think it will ever die out completely. Especially on sunny days when the football is on.
