Pubbing

Friend count as of last Wednesday: 4 (1 of which is my sole co-worker)

Friend count as of this Wednesday: 11

Actually, 12 if you count Leonardo: my French, Body Combat teacher who asked me out after class on Monday. But let's not be greedy.

That's 7 new friends in one week! A friend a day! Completely brilliant!!

I knew I was off to good start when I met the other Anna!

The others came this week through the church I've been going to since I got here.

On Tuesday night, I went to a small get-together group of other "young working professionals," which is a title that I don't think I will ever be used to.

And where did this church group meet? Why, the pub o'course!

In New York, people go clubbing. In London, people go pubbing.

My parents found this quite shocking.... "your church group meets in a pub?" they asked in a concerned tone.

I thought it was a bit odd at first too to be honest, but I have pretty much realized that life in London revolves around going to the pub. There is no occasion or event that a trip to the pub before, during, or after is not included.

After church service on Sunday, everyone goes to the pub.

After work, everyone goes to the pub.

After the gym, everyone goes to the pub.

Saturday morning, everyone goes to the pub.

Saturday evening, everyone is still in the pub from the morning.

Get it?

It's all about the pub.

And at the pub, you order a pint and scream about the football game on the telly with your mates.

Tonight, I found myself at the Tea Clipper. Last night I was at the Prince Albert.

Most of the pubs are named something quintessentially English like that, and many pubs have the same name, so you must have the address otherwise you could very well end up at the wrong "Queen's Head" - since there is one on nearly every corner.

Loads of the pub names are somehow connected with royalty; the Crown, Crown and Sceptre, King's Arms, Queen's Arms (or someone's Arms), King's Head, Queen's Head (or someone's Head), The Victoria, Prince Albert, the Royal this, the Tea that. You get the idea.

But some of my favorites I've seen are a bit more creative. Such as,

"Hung Drawn and Quartered", "The Goat in Boots" and a particularly nice one, "Old Cock Tavern"

Upon further investigating the origin of pubs, I actually found that churches and monasteries have an ancient connection with pubs. So it's not that strange that my church has multiple pub-outtings during the week afterall.

According to www.pubs.com, it's "a truism that where you'll find a church there will be a pub nearby. Long sermons are known to cause dry throats, particularly for the congregation."

Ha! It also said that lodgings used by masons who were building churches were often converted into pubs when the building work was finished - so a pub name would be chosen an ecclesiastical twist. Like "The Bull," representing the papal 'Bull' insignia."

The Pope's Head was apparently quite a popular name in the old days, but as you could guess - the popularity of the Catholic inspired names plummeted post Reformation. Henry VIII would have probably been a bigger supporter of "The Queen's Head," I imagine.

If you're not in the mood for a pint or a tipple (what the rest of the world calls a cocktail), you can always get some pub fare, like fish and chips, steak and ale pie, bangers and mash, bubbles and squeak - and a variety of delicious English "puddings." My favorite, of course, being sticky toffee pudding, which I could eat all day every day and never tire of. EVER. The best thing about sticky toffee pudding is that you can't really screw it up. It is always moist and gooey because of the toffee sauce oozing all over it. STP from a traditional english pub is pure, sticky, bliss.

The pub is really the cafe of Paris, or the Starbucks of New York. The city would not be the same without it.

It's where everyone goes to sit and chat and drink. It's on every corner, and is always packed, and visited daily. It is very important that you have "your" pub - where you are a local, and the bartender knows you. So this is something that I am still working on - finding "my" pub.

But don't worry, I will find one soon, and you can bet that when I do, the bartender will become friend #11.

Cheers!