Vertical drinking ban? Stand against this.

TheVat

TheVat

Valued Senior Member
www.theguardian.com

I stand to defend vertical drinking. Is a pub that doesn’t allow it a real pub at all? | Simon Jenkins

The time-honoured tradition of standing up with a drink, gossiping and putting the world to rights is under threat. If councillors ban it, we’ll all lose out, says Guardian columnist Simon Jenkins
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com

Hadn't heard the term before. The notion of banning struck me as akin to banning breathing. For reasons the columnist sets out, this nonsensical notion should be deepsixed. It would be laughed out the swinging doors here in the American West, where vertical drinking was pretty much all of it, unless you joined a poker game.
 
All drinking should be banned, shouldn't it? It's just a way to control the poor. Pay them very little, tax them and when they have a little left, you take that by getting them addicted to alcohol. Take away their free will and then keep them in their place maybe submissive due to a subsidy here and there.

Free the poor, ban drinking. Who is with me my brothers?
 
TheVat said:
www.theguardian.com

I stand to defend vertical drinking. Is a pub that doesn’t allow it a real pub at all? | Simon Jenkins

The time-honoured tradition of standing up with a drink, gossiping and putting the world to rights is under threat. If councillors ban it, we’ll all lose out, says Guardian columnist Simon Jenkins
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com

Hadn't heard the term before. The notion of banning struck me as akin to banning breathing. For reasons the columnist sets out, this nonsensical notion should be deepsixed. It would be laughed out the swinging doors here in the American West, where vertical drinking was pretty much all of it, unless you joined a poker game.
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This whole thing is a silly myth, like the supposed Brussels directive on straight bananas. Westminster City Council has made it clear it is merely encouraging landlords of premises seeking a new alcohol licence to provide seating, so that we don't get even more stand-up drinkers spilling out into the streets.

QUOTE
The guidance suggests applicants for new licences should aim for "a predominantly seated operation with fixed seating", alongside waiter service replacing vertical drinking and restrictions on customers consuming alcohol while standing.

WCC insists there is no plan to ban pub-goers in Soho from drinking while standing up, branding reporting of anything of that nature "utterly ludicrous", and on Friday afternoon it published a "myth-busting" response to the proposals, external.
UNQUOTE

From: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c86nvjxlg9eo

See also this from WCC themselves: https://www.westminster.gov.uk/news/standing-pubs-myth-busting

Storm in a teacup. :rolleyes:
 
Seattle said:
All drinking should be banned, shouldn't it? It's just a way to control the poor. Pay them very little, tax them and when they have a little left, you take that by getting them addicted to alcohol. Take away their free will and then keep them in their place maybe submissive due to a subsidy here and there.

Free the poor, ban drinking. Who is with me my brothers?
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Chuckle. Pull the other one, bro.
 
exchemist said:
merely encouraging landlords of premises seeking a new alcohol licence to provide seating, so that we don't get even more stand-up drinkers spilling out into the streets.
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This does seem to beg some questions, though. Are standing drinkers more prone to rowdiness? Do seated drinkers behave better upon exiting the public house? Are some people complaining about loud and boisterous conversations in the street? (Do I understand that UK pubs close at the remarkably early hour of ten? Hard to imagine here. A city where I used to live changed mandatory closure from 2am to 1am, and people shat themselves at the totalitarian horror
 
TheVat said:
www.theguardian.com

I stand to defend vertical drinking. Is a pub that doesn’t allow it a real pub at all? | Simon Jenkins

The time-honoured tradition of standing up with a drink, gossiping and putting the world to rights is under threat. If councillors ban it, we’ll all lose out, says Guardian columnist Simon Jenkins
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com

Hadn't heard the term before. The notion of banning struck me as akin to banning breathing.
Click to expand...
Won't happen. People will get mad about it and it will silently fade away.
 
TheVat said:
This does seem to beg some questions, though. Are standing drinkers more prone to rowdiness? Do seated drinkers behave better upon exiting the public house? Are some people complaining about loud and boisterous conversations in the street? (Do I understand that UK pubs close at the remarkably early hour of ten? Hard to imagine here. A city where I used to live changed mandatory closure from 2am to 1am, and people shat themselves at the totalitarian horror
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It can get a bit much when they block the pavement, forcing passers by into the road. And of course stand up drinkers are not eating, just drinking, so they do get more sloshed than someone sitting down with a pie and chips. Also a place full of stand up drinkers is not friendly to families with children. It’s not a massive problem in my experience, but I can understand the council not wanting to licence an unlimited number of new places to cater for bunches of blokes getting pissed.

Pubs no longer close early. Tony Blair did away with the closing time law, which was originally introduced during WW 1 to curb excessive drunkenness.
 
I currently do not have a horse in this race, certainly not the tea totally tedious types.
When I did drink though....
Standing drinkers used to annoy the hell out of me, find a fucking seat for Christ sake, how hard is it!?
If there are no seats available, move to the next pub please.
Also, the pub staff do not need your company at the bar, they are not interested in your conversation, jokes, "banter" (conversation for stupid people) they just want to finish their shift and get back to their life.
I on the other hand AM interested, I am wondering why you are blocking the bar when I want to get served, why you are talking to bar staff when she should be serving me, with a smile.
Find a seat!
 
TheVat said:
Thanks for some clarifications. I can see how pub grub would add control rods to the reactor.
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Has noone thought of inventing alcoholic food?

They could stand around on the trottoir eating gin flavoured crisps or whiskey syringed cod and chips.
(I quite like tiramisu but it would be a bit messy and maybe lack "street cred" )
 
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geordief said:
Has noone thought of inventing alcoholic food?
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Vodka Jelly

And Ai suggested

"Beer-battered foods: Fish, onion rings, and pub foods fried in beer batter.
Wine-based sauces: Classic Italian marinara, French Coq au Vin, or beef bourguignon simmered with red or white wine.
Booze-cured seafood: Gourmet starters like vodka-cured or whiskey-infused salmon.
Fondue: Traditional Swiss cheese fondue heavily relies on white wine and kirsch (cherry brandy).Penne alla vodka: A popular pasta dish where vodka is used to balance the creaminess of the tomato sauce.Desserts, Extracts, and ConfectioneryDesserts and baking ingredients often contain the highest concentrations of alcohol because they are either uncooked or heavily concentrated:pure vanilla extract: A baking staple that serves as a heavyweight, containing 35% to 40% ABV.Tiramisu: An Italian dessert layered with ladyfingers soaked in coffee and marsala wine or dark rum.Rum cake and Fruitcake: Holiday cakes explicitly drenched in dark rum, brandy, or whiskey.Alcohol-filled chocolates: Confections or truffles explicitly injected with liquid liqueurs like cherry brandy."
 
Pinball1970 said:
Beer-battered foods . . .
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Problem is that it is very hard to keep alcohol in foods while you are cooking them. Alcohol is even more volatile than water.

Standing drinkers used to annoy the hell out of me, find a fucking seat for Christ sake, how hard is it!?
If there are no seats available, move to the next pub please.
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In college we'd do bar tours. Doing Mass Ave from Harvard to MIT was a famous one, starting at the Hong Kong and ending up at the Muddy Charles or Thirsty Ear. We never made it all the way (there were at least 20 bars) but we'd make an effort then walk the rest of the way home. No one would sit down; we'd come in, have one beer, and move on.

Same with after-work happy hours. No one would sit. We'd get a beer, chatter for 30 minutes, then head home (or further out.)
 
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