3-9 英国的酒馆

Pubs in Britain

There are 70,000 pubs in England and Wales and several thousand more in Scotland.

Every country has its drinking shop, but none has an institution quite like the British pub. The essence of a good pub (which modern buildings hardly ever achieve) is a feeling of intimacy 2. It must have nooks1 and crannies2, corners and snugs3, where conversations and assignations4 can take place without the whole world listening in.

The beer must be pumped into the glass. Still alive and fermenting5, it is drunk at the temperature of the cold dark cellar without benefit of refrigeration. It has no carbon dioxide gas added to make it fizz6, and it is brewed 5 only from barley 67, hops8 and pure clear water. It should be golden or straw-coloured, and crystal clear when held up to the light.

Most pubs have at least two separate bars, like first and second class on the railways. The “public bar” which is for ordinary people and women is the basic drinking shop. The “ lounge9 bar” (or saloon bar) which is for travelling salesmen and “ladies” probably has a carpet on the floor and rather more plush decoration. There may be a difference of a few pence in the drink prices, although all pubs are required by law to put their price lists prominently10 on display.

The word “ pub” is merely a shortened form of “ public house,” an indication that the earliest ale houses11 were simply private homes where the occupant brewed beer and sold it at the front door or across a table in the living room. To indicate that the house sold ale, the owner would hang out a sign, not saying “Ale,” as the average Saxon peasant never graduated to literacy,but a pole topped with a bough 712 of an evergreen 8.

Pubs have been changing over the past few decades. More and more of them sell good, inexpensive food and are competing strongly with restaurants. Tea and coffee are often on offer and children are being made more welcome. The law says that no one under 14 may enter a pub, and between 14 and 18 they must be accompanied by an adult and may not buy or consume liquor. In reality some pubs, especially in country districts, welcome whole families. Some set aside special rooms for children and where there are gardens they are almost always welcome.

The most radical 9 change, however, came about in the 1988 licensing 10 laws which allowed pubs in England and Wales to open not just at lunch time and in the evening, but all day, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. (Scottish laws already permitted all-day opening.) About a third of the pubs take advantage of this, though Sunday hours remain 12～3 p.m. and 7～10∶30 p.m. (12∶30 p.m.～2∶30 p.m. and 6∶30～11 p.m. in Scotland). Twenty minutes “ drinking up” time is officially allowed after the closing time, half an hour for those who have had a meal.

注释：

1. nook [nuk] n. （尤指房间的）角落；隐蔽处，幽深处

2. cranny [5krAni] n. 不引人注意的角落

3. snug 3 [snQ^] n.〈主英〉（酒馆中的）雅室；（客店中的）酒吧间

4. assignation [7Asi^5neiFEn] n. 幽会；约会

5. ferment 4 [5fE:mEnt] vi. 发酵

6. fizz [fiz] vi. 冒气泡，起泡沫

7. barley [5bB:li] n. 大麦；大麦粒

8. hop 1 [hCp] n. [～s]啤酒花（用以使啤酒等带苦味）

9. lounge [laundV] n.〈主英〉雅座酒吧（亦作～bar）

10. prominently [5prCminEntli] adv. 显著地；显眼地

11. ale [eil] n.（较一般啤酒含更多酒精的）麦芽酒；～house麦芽酒店；酒馆

12. bough [bau] n. 树枝；粗树枝

                                        英国的酒馆

　　英格兰和威尔士有7万家酒馆，苏格兰还有数千家。

　　每个国家都有喝酒的店铺，但没有哪个国家酒馆的习俗是与英国相像的。一家好酒馆的要素在于它有一种亲密感（这是现代建筑难有的），有各种隐蔽的角落和雅座。在这样的地方谈话、幽会不会被任何人窃听。

　　在这样的酒馆里，啤酒一定是用泵抽到玻璃杯里的。这时的啤酒依然新鲜，还在发酵，喝的时候还保持着从寒冷阴暗的地窖里拿出时的凉爽，用不着冷藏。这种啤酒不用添加二氧化碳使它冒泡，完全是用大麦、啤酒花与纯净水酿造而成。它会是金色或麦秸色的。当你举起杯子对着亮光，它会像水晶一样清澈。

　　大多数的酒馆起码有两个分开的酒吧间，像火车上的头等和二等车厢那样。“大众酒吧”是普通人和妇女呆的，是基本的喝酒场所。“雅座酒吧”是旅行推销员和“淑女”呆的地方，可能地上会铺一块地毯再加上更豪华一点的装饰。酒的价格可能会有几个便士的差异，可是法律要求所有的酒馆都必须明码标价。

　　英文pub这个词就是publichouse的缩写。这表示最早的啤酒店其实就是私家住户在自家大门前或者厅里放一张桌子销售家酿的啤酒。为了表明这房子里有啤酒卖，房主就在外面挂一个标志。由于当时的撒克逊农民一般都不识字，房前挂的不是“啤酒有售”的牌子，而是顶上绑着常青树树枝的一根杆儿。

　　在过去的几十年里，酒馆不断发生着变化。越来越多的酒馆销售优质、廉价的食物，与饭馆进行着激烈的竞争。茶和咖啡经常有售，儿童也受到更多欢迎。法律规定14岁以下的孩子不得进入酒馆，14岁到18岁的必须有大人陪同，还不得买酒、饮酒。但实际上在有些酒馆，尤其是在乡村地区，整家整家的人都是受到欢迎的。有些酒馆给儿童辟出了专门的房间，而在有花园的酒馆儿童则几乎总是受到欢迎的。

　　然而，最根本的变化发生在1988年。那年颁布的法律特许英格兰和威尔士的酒馆不仅可以在午饭时间和晚上营业，而且整天都可以营业，从上午11点到晚上11点。（苏格兰的法律早就允许全天营业了。）大约1/3的酒馆充分利用了这一点，尽管在星期天营业时间仍然是中午12点到下午3点，晚7点到10点半（在苏格兰是下午12点半到2点半，晚6点半到11点）。官方允许关门之后还可以再呆20分钟将酒“喝完”，吃了饭的人则可以再呆半个小时。