To beer or not to beer, that is the question
Rory Hamilton
Drinking in the UK is very binary: you go to a cafe during the day, which closes between 4 and 5pm, or you can go to a pub likely from 6 or 7pm into the late evening; drink a caffeinated beverage in the daytime, this is often while you’re working, or you can drink an alcoholic beverage, usually in the evening when you aren’t working because the intoxicating effect of alcohol is highly unprofessional; we have institutions which provide for both.
This binary is very fixed: cafes have a certain vibe, they’re generally pretty clean, often well lit, and nowadays adorned in comfortable decor (whether its a chain or independent) in an attempt to create a cosy atmosphere; meanwhile pubs can be cosy, but in a very different way, they can also be sticky, wet, untidy, even rowdy; the two are common places you might find someone with a dog, and they’re both places you might catch up with a friend or a family member; they both have a certain hubbub and a buzz you can hear and feel (and that’s not just the caffeine or the alcohol talking).
I like both in equal measure, and think there is a place for them both. But I ask why the binary has to be so fixed? Why have we totally failed to make the transition from daytime to evening fluid in any way, rather than this staccato changing of the guard between night-time and daytime economies.
Two recent occurrences have spurred these musings of mine: first, I was in Amsterdam a couple of weeks ago, and whilst enjoying some of the outer areas of the city (De Pijp in particular), one thing I observed was the seamless transition from daytime cafe and hangout to evening watering hole. It’s a trend I’ve seen elsewhere in Europe, in France in particular, where ‘pubs’ as such aren’t really a thing, rather the cute cafe which you might find yourself in during the day working away on your laptop, in a sort of slow peeling back of the layers, reveals itself also to be a fine establishment serving beer, wine and cocktails, just as the sun begins to set on your day of work.
So when my second recent occurrence… occurred… I would have found myself very happily fixed in the same place whilst working without feeling a particular pressure to leave as the cafe was closing. This second instance was just last week, as Scotland (or Edinburgh at least) experienced a short reprieve of summer sun (at last!), and I, having been cooped up with a rugby injury for a few days, found myself in need of some fresh air and an attempt to stretch my battered legs. So I was working in a cafe at the top of Leith Walk, and seeing that it was nearing 4pm, didn't want to inconvenience the staff who were closing up so packed up to go. However, I still had a fair bit of work to do, and between my PhD and Common Weal I normally work into the evenings a bit so I’d have to find somewhere to work, as I hadn’t been out for all that long and wanted to make my excursion worth it. Most of the cafes nearby were closing, and 1) it was really probably too early for the pub, and 2) I was working so couldn’t / didn't want to drink anything alcoholic, as the environment of a pub might pressure you to do so.
Now, things are a lot different, I guess, than even 10 years ago, with many non-alcohol beverages available at pubs, including non-alcoholic beers and spirits, but it doesn’t get you away from that feeling that you *should* be drinking and having a jolly old time when you’re in a pub (maybe its just me and I’m outing myself as a latent alcoholic here, but I suspect others might feel the same). Nor am I suggesting that pubs are the ideal spaces to work in - far from it, its important that we are able to separate the spaces we work in from those we want to enjoy and have fun in (and not impose our work ethic on those around us). However, we appear capable of this segregation when it comes to cafes, so why does it still strike us (me) as odd that pubs are inappropriate places to work in? Probably the alcohol, and the fact they are generally considered night-time spaces, unlike cafes.
But this brings me back to my earlier point. We should be facilitating more spaces which are no-pressure social environments which are open into the evening, without relying on alcohol as the incentive. Only a couple of places on Princes St I can think of have this option - the Waterstones Cafe (open until 7pm), and the new Uniqlo store’s cafe (open until 8pm I believe), although I can’t be sure that you’ll be served after 5pm in either. At the same time, neither of these places’ primary function is as a cafe/social space - they are both retail shops, one for books, one for clothes.
Our unhealthy relationship with alcohol is worth considering for the Muslim communities in the UK as well, for many of whom spaces where alcohol is served are exclusionary. If the supporting of diverse religious and social practices is something we strive for in our liberal democracy then indirectly segregating minority religious populations away from (a) primarily white, and (b) non-immigrant communities is a sure fire way to limit opportunities for integration. Couple this with the number of community centres, libraries, leisure centres and village hall-type spaces which have been forced to close as a result of public spending cuts or the cost of living crisis, and there are an increasingly limited number of social spaces available in the evenings to communities outwith the Mosque or similar buildings.
Pubs themselves have a strong coherence with socialisation. Think of the working mens’ clubs (although fairly gender-biased here), or the Royal British Legion (again an exclusive cohort). They have the potential to be great sites of social integration and where we can rebuild solidarity.
There are a multitude of opportunities opened up to us by encouraging more spaces not-dependent on alcohol in the evenings, and I haven’t even touched on the health benefits.
But I’ll return to my own personal experiences. I did manage to find a spot off Brunswick Street which facilitated the seamless transition from daytime cafe to evening bar. So I was able to sit outside in the sun for a couple of hours (I did, in the end, capitulate to a non-alcoholic beer), and get a bit more work done.
However, perhaps because it was fresh in my mind, but perhaps not, I couldn’t help but pine for my trip to Amsterdam and the ease with which I could find a space to work in that I didn't feel the pressure to drink in, was able to do some desk-based work, and almost without noticing, when the time was right, pop my work away and order something with a little more pep in it (alcohol, definitely alcohol).
I wouldn’t describe myself as a Europhile - I will defend our plug sockets to the death, and I think that the EU is a neoliberal institution which operates in the interests of capital and against workers and migrants - but there are some European things we would do well to embrace a bit more of - evening cafes, and public ownership of public transport seem like a good place to start.