Something to whet the appetite

You come across all sorts of interesting things on blogs, and quite often the most fascinating can come from a single paragraph, or even just a couple of sentences.

Take this snippet which I came across on Pub Curmudgeon’s blog, “I’m a regular buyer of the Good Beer Guide, and the main purpose for which I use it is to find interesting pubs to visit when I’m away on holiday or out on day trips. One of the key things I’m looking for is pubs to have lunch when out and about. It can be very valuable in taking me to pubs that I wouldn’t otherwise have found.”

Now the main article was a mild ticking off for those CAMRA branches who select pubs for the Guide, based on their own personal preferences, or are sometimes influenced by internal branch politics, rather than choosing pubs which are of benefit to those who buy and use the GBG It was also a rallying cry for branches to remain focussed on what the Guide is all about.

My main point of interest though is the fact Mudgie obviously likes his pub-grub, especially at midday; and so do I. The daytime trips which my own local West Kent CAMRA branch arranges from time to time, will inevitably include a suitable pit-stop, so that members can get a decent bite to eat, and it goes without saying that careful thought will be put into making sure the lunchtime stop is at a pub which offers good food, alongside equally good beer.

This is well in tune with my own thinking, as when I am drinking, I like also to have something more solid to soak up the beer. In short, I don’t like drinking on an empty stomach. Evenings are a little different, in that I will normally have my dinner when I arrive home from work, and then ideally will allow a couple of hours to pass before heading off to the pub.

Holidays are again different as the evening meal will invariably be in a local bar or restaurant, where I can enjoy a few pints with my meal. I have written previously about how, during the week I normally shy away from a pint at lunchtime, particularly during the working week. This is largely due to the soporific effect which even a single pint can have on me when I return to the office, but at weekends, and especially whilst on holiday, I still prefer something solid inside, even if it is just a couple of rolls or a pie.

I’m not sure where this habit came from, as neither of my parents were drinkers, and both were certainly not pub-goers, but being despite being the “black sheep of the family” something must have clicked, relatively early on in my drinking career, which brought on the hunger pangs if I was to sit down in a pub at lunchtime, for anything more than a pint.

Some might argue that beer stimulates the appetite, whilst others would say that the distending of the stomach, by all that liquid, is the stimulus responsible for the feelings of hunger.

Not everyone feels the same of course, and I know some drinkers who remain content to enjoy lunch in a purely liquid form. The two people I am thinking of in particular, are both heavy drinkers, and I get the feeling that stopping to eat some how interferes with their drinking.

This may be true, and each to their own of course, but for me, especially when I am off on a CAMRA outing, or have spent the morning walking around a picturesque or historic town, there is nothing finer than stopping for a few pints, along with a bit to eat. The same applies when out for a ramble, and probably more so, as the combination of exercise and all that fresh air, are guaranteed to have worked up an appetite as well as a thirst.

I am certain I am not alone in thinking this, and would be interested to hear what other people’s thoughts are, on this matter.

ps. Having met Pub Curmudgeon in person, I can vouch for him being a far more amiable and affable soul than the persona he sometimes projects on his blog. I am particularly pleased to learn that, like me, he enjoys a bite to eat with his lunchtime pint.