Typing in a pub

2 December 2009

When I want to write something, I sometimes find myself in a pub, as I do now. I could go to a cafe, but I prefer to go to a pub.

Of course, I won’t do this in the evening, when pubs start to fill up with the after-work crowd, or during lunch time. And while writing, I wouldn’t be drinking alcohol either. I know some people find inspiration in drink, but unfortunately, I’m the type who just gets drunk and becomes silly and incoherent (spare me from ‘you’re no less silly or incoherent while you’re sober’). In the afternoon, pubs can be quite deserted, therefore a quiet place to work. Pubs tend to have comfortable seats and large tables at the right height that enables me to type without straining my muscles.

Another, and somewhat paradoxical, reason is bad coffee. In a cafe, I expect a good cup of coffee, and someone who likes coffee, I wouldn’t be able to resist drinking it. Pubs can sometimes serve reasonably good cups of coffee, but in many cases, they tend to give you a pretty bad brew. There is caffeine nevertheless, so I can sip it over a long period of time, and that way, I can occupy a table.