Тема 23

The word pub is short for public house. There are over 60,000 pubs in the UK (53,000 in England and Wales, 5,200 in Scotland and 1,600 in Northern Ireland). One of the oldest pubs, Fighting Cocks in St. Albans, Herts, is located in a building that dates back to the eleventh century.

Pubs are an important part of British life. People talk, eat, drink, meet their friends and relax there.

Pubs often have two bars, one usually quieter than the other, many have a garden where people can sit in the summer. Children can go in pub gardens with their parents. Groups of friends normally buy 'rounds' of drinks, where the person whose turn it is will buy drinks for all the members of the group. It is sometimes difficult to get served when pubs are busy: people do not queue, but the bar staff will usually try and serve those who have been waiting the longest at the bar first. If you spill a stranger's drink by accident, it is good manners (and prudent) to offer to buy another drink.

Most pubs belong to a brewery (a company which makes beer) but sell many different kinds of beer, some on tap (from a big container under the bar) and some in bottles. The most popular kind of British beer is bitter, which is dark and served at room temperature (not hot, not cold). British beer is brewed from malt and hops.

More popular today though is lager, which is lighter in colour and served cold. Guinness, a very dark, creamy kind of beer called a stout, is made in Ireland and is popular all over Britain.

In the West of England, cider made from apples, is very popular. Like wine, it is described as sweet or dry, but is drunk in beer glasses and can be stronger than beer.

Beers are served in "pints" for a large glass and "halves" for a smaller one.

British pubs are required to have a licence, which is difficult to obtain, and allows the pub to operate for up to 24 hours. Most pubs are open from 11 to 11.

Nearly all pubs sell pub lunches. One of these is the Ploughman's Lunch which is a great wedge of Cheddar cheese, some bread, some pickle, and an onion. Other typical pub foods are scampi (kind of shellfish) and chips (fried potatoes), pie and chips, and chicken and chips.

Pubs have traditional names which date back over 600 years.

Some typical names are The Chequers, The White Swan, The Crown, The King's Arms, The Red Lion and The White Horse. People often refer to the pub by its name when giving directions:Turn left at the Rose and Crown. There is usually a sign outside the pub showing the pub's name with a picture.

Restaurants in London

The British have taken good ideas from all over the world. You can eat Chinese, Indian, Italian and Greek food in any big city. There is a fantastic variety of restaurants. The restaurants' best customers are business people, who meet in them to talk business in a relaxed atmosphere away from the telephone They can eat what they like because the company pays the bill.

When a man and woman want to get to know each other better, they often go out to a restaurant together. After all it's easier to talk in a quiet atmosphere with soft music, wine and good food. Most British families only go to restaurants on special occasions, like birthdays or wedding anniversaries. For visitors to London, eating out can be fun. But if you want that special feeling of London, go to the Ritz in Piccadilly for tea any afternoon at about half past four. And you'll see that the prices are very high. Then you can try England's favourite food-fish and chips. Take it away and eat where you like - in the park, on the bus or while you walk down the street. British restaurants have not always been famous for their good food. Too often, they offered only fried food and chips with everything. But now healthy food is in fashion.