“I don’t understand why you go to the pub…”

I was chatting to my daughter the other day about nothing very much and in the course of our rambling conversation she mentioned that although she comes to the pub with us (to be sociable, she doesn’t drink alcohol) she really doesn’t understand why we are pub people. She has nothing against pubs, nothing against the people in them, but she just doesn’t “get” what it is about them.

Well, I said, it’s a place we go to meet friends, to meet new people, to ‘go out’ without it being a particular event, we can go and have a drink and chat to each other even if no-one else is in, Having a local is comfortable and nice, and we just like it!

She understood that, of course she did, but she didn’t understand why we go so frequently – about a couple or maybe three times a week, when we could sit at home and have a beer if we wanted one.

Suppose there was a coffee bar or café which was a favourite of yours, or which did really nice hot chocolate and cakes, you’d want to pop in fairly frequently.

She didn’t see this as a like comparison, she wouldn’t go to the same place several times a week, or even regularly once a week. And also, she said,  you don’t just go to your pub, you go to others as well, and even when you’re on holiday you find a ‘local’. I just don’t get it!

We began to chat about other things, and I thought that when we moved here, one of the principal reasons for this particular place in the area was the pub. If we ever move again we would want to be close to a decent pub – and when we go on holiday, having one near our accommodation – the right sort of one – is important too! We are just pub people!