Rain Day Delayed

Today we intended to try Pangbourne again, specifically Basildon Park, and then hit the museum in Wallingford. The weather was predicted to be much colder today with high winds, then heavy rain tomorrow and showers through the weekend. When the time came to leave for Pangbourne, it was raining and the clouds were black, so we decided to forgo the trip. Around noon, the skies had cleared and it was sunny, but still windy. So we decided to walk to The White Hart for lunch. The rest of the day was beautiful and mostly sunny, but with a LOT of wind.

Since we stayed in today, this is a good time to discuss another subject.

PUBS

I have some emails from friends saying (paraphrased) "you've been spending a lot of time in pubs; that's a lot of beer". Pub is short for "public house". Often, Americans think this is synonymous with "bar". The pub is like our early colonial "tavern", which is based on the English pub. These establishments served meals as well as drinks and also provided sleeping rooms and meeting space. Early U S history is peppered with references to the founding fathers holding meetings in taverns. The same occurred in England. When roads were bad, or non-existent, pubs were an invaluable institution. Today, most pubs no longer provide rooms, sticking solely to food and drink. A pub is basically a restaurant; distinguished from an ordinary restaurant by the type of food served, usually "pub grub", which is basic food, often un-adventuresome but good. Good quality draught beer is also served. A recent phenomenon is the "gastro-pub" which gets away from "pub-grub" and serves high cuisine.

Many people eat in pubs and don't touch alcohol; others, like me, really enjoy the beer.