Pub Nation: Notes from Across the Pond

Published February 12, 2008

By Lauren Foley

In recent years, “café societies” have become more and more prevalent. Our local coffeehouses have become the headquarters for harried mothers, the working rush hour crowd, and tired, cranky students eager for a caffeine pick-me-up.

In the United States, we have the infamous Starbucks, which bends over backwards to appear as quaint as your corner mom and pop coffee shop while dishing out five dollar cups of coffee and selling three-day-old pastries for about the same price.

Until I left for England, I had no idea that café socializing was not as popular in other countries as it is in the US. In fact, I had pretty much depended on the fact that England is notorious for its tea. I figured I would indulge in a couple of cups a day, at least, clutching my paper cup like a lifeline on my way to class. Alas, I was mistaken.

Aside from the ubiquitous Starbucks chain, coffeehouses are few and far between. Seemingly the land of tea and crumpets, I have been intrigued to realize that morning or afternoon coffee with friends is basically nonexistent. This semester, there will be no coffee runs or lectures where my huge paper cup weighs down the folders on my desk like a paperweight.

No, this is not even remotely a café nation. Coffee has no say in this world. Socialization is done exclusively over pints. In the last two weeks I have come to the realization that I have officially entered Pub Nation.

As an American, I am used to the fact that drinking is exploited and sexualized to the point where it is nearly impossible to socially drink as a college student. At home, most people drink to get drunk. That is the general consensus, the main goal of a night of partying.

Granted, people in Newcastle, England do get drunk. With the vast number of bars and pubs within the downtown square mile vicinity, that is an obvious consequence. But for every person out solely for the purpose of getting drunk and making bad decisions they wouldn’t have made sober, there is an exponentially larger number of students sitting in pubs with friends, enjoying the taste of their drink, not funneling it. Not to say that the people here don’t get extremely intoxicated, because they do. It’s just that the mind-set is
different.

In fact, study groups often meet over beers in the Student Union, clubs openly advertise free booze at meetings, and students are constantly revving up for the next pub crawl-an event that is fully endorsed and supported by the University. As someone accustomed to wristbands at Brennans, dry residence halls, and a lifetime of DARE conditioning, I am admittedly startled at the open-minded regard to alcohol.

Similar to America, drinking is often facilitated by sporting events. I recently went out to a pub with my flatmates and saw my first ever rugby game. While watching person after person get hurt, get emotional, and ultimately triumph or despair, I couldn’t help but compare the game to that of American drinking culture. First off, rugby players are constantly getting injured, often getting knocked unconscious or breaking bones. A typical night out at the bars in Burlington inevitably produces somewhat similar injuries: a nasty fall down the stairs at What Ales You, a clumsy trip over the chains on Church Street, or a quick yet brutal chipping of a tooth on a beer bottle. However, even in light of these frequent occurrences, students are not deterred in their quest, the quest to get drunk. As with rugby, it is part of the game, and often an obstacle encountered on their way to scoring.

Looking around at the countless Newcastle University students situated at a pub practically on its campus, I couldn’t help but wonder why universities such as UVM can’t facilitate this kind of atmosphere. Why must students feel somewhat ashamed after having a drink? And why must those students often feel compelled to have enough drinks to make them chip their tooth or take a spill? The very fact that Pub Culture is embraced over in England takes away that whole rebellion aspect. To a lot of these students, chatting over beers is a lot like chatting over coffee is to us in America, we don’t need 10 cups to make us happy.

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