Bar Blocking A Cardinal Sin Or Not?
Over the years of participating on this forum and others as well as reading countless pub reviews , I can't help noticing that the general practice of bar blocking is generally derided and sneered at, I would suggest that most active members on here have probably mentioned it in a negative way, in a review at some time or other. It is however, I would suggest part of traditional pub culture, certainly in traditional locals pubs where the greater percentage of customers all know each other and repeat the same ritual day in day out. This is the culture I was brought up in and still practice to this day, well until a week and a bit ago anyway.
I am suggesting again, and these are only my thoughts , may not be in the mainstream, that pub goers that dislike , are annoyed, Intimidated?, by this practice are solo operators who travel on the most part alone visiting new pubs and therefore are a stranger in that pub. I do both I have (had) two local pubs I use on a regular basis, i.e. I am in one or the other at some point most days of the week and yes I am guilty of sitting at the bar, that's where most of the interaction is.Of course I also travel about a bit on crawls, more often than not solo, more so than in the past as my drinking crew are generally older than me and are beginning to suffer the march of time, but when I am alone in a new pub I am never troubled by a sea of blokes sat at the bar, nearly always they are happy to move sideways to let me see whats on offer. To me such scenes signs of a proper pub. Am I alone in the way I see this?
