British pubs closing: I'll drink to that

So five pubs are closing down each day in Britain, according to the BBC. And Prince Charles is now trying to help to stop the closures.

Well call me a hypocrite if you like but since I left those shores I have decided the whole pub experience is over-rated.

While I lived there I spent hour and hour, day after day, week after (well you get the picture) in the pub because as we all know it is a social centre and a convenient gathering point.

But when I returned on my numerous visits to England I found going to pubs very frustrating.

First and foremost if you go at a busy time it is almost impossible for a non-regular to buy a drink. It didn’t matter if I was visiting my brother near Manchester or my friends in London there were times when I literally could not get served as the bar and I had to hand over my money to the “regular” who had invited me there because he could attract the barman’s attention.

Nothing like that happens in the US. The people behind the bar for the most part figure out who is next and the drinks roll. The other big difference is that most bars have waitresses so there is no need for an unruly mob waving money at the barman. Usually the waitress keys in an order on a computer-like terminal and the drinks are poured in the order they are received. How civilized is that.

The other aspect of pub life that came to irritate me was the realization of how unfriendly they are. I went to the same pub in north London for years and didn’t speak to anyone outside my close circle of friends.

Walk into a country pub that is slightly off the beaten track and all conversation stops among the locals.

Again compare that with the American experience. If you take a seat at a bar you are giving off a signal that you are open to conversation. If you want to keep yourself to yourself sit at a table and wait for the waitress.

It seems the reason the pubs are closing is that people stopped going when smoking was banned. Add that to the economic slowdown and so it’s cans of beer in front of the TV.