Since the better lighting, lower noise level, and low cost of drinks does not attract people of the preferred gender to your home, the bar is preferable because they will be there, even if you find the conditions less than optimal. Remember the well known reply to the question “Why do you rob banks?”, “Because that’s where the money is”.
Not to be confused with Chris Matthews or Rachel Maddow spouting idiots :rolleyes:.
Essentially you went out on St. Patrick’s day to a cookie-cutter bar and expected…a nice time?
We have much to learn from bars.
Joe
Huh. Pub/bar ignorance fought. Thanks. (Which unfortunately means that much of my first post probably makes no sense.)
I like nightclubs, which are at least as dark and loud as bars, but that’s because I’m there mainly to dance and I love dancing. Loud dark bars are frustrating because, like I said, I’m there for the talk and the laughs, and the noise just gets in the way of those. You can only have one-on-one conversations, by leaning in close - no chance of group chat and banter.
Which I suppose goes to the point: if you’re out on the pull, loud dark bars actually work well. Having to lean in close and stick to one-on-one conversations is a plus, not a minus. Dim light feels intimate.
Mmm, liniment.
OK, as I understand it, restaurants have three advantages over eating at home: 1) there is a wider variety of food available, 2) You don’t have to clean up, 3) You get out of the house.
I get these advantages, but…
A) They’re dark - sometimes it’s hard to read the menu or even see the person across the table from you.
B) They’re noisy - you can hear all the conversations going on around you all evening, and worse, anyone around you can hear what you’re discussing.
C) The food is damn expensive - you can’t afford to buy more than one appetizer, and social conventions dictate that you should at least buy your date an entree, drink, and split an appetizer.
I just don’t understand why people eat at restaurants!
There seem to be almost as many threads devoted to some version of the question “why do people like to get drunk and have fun” as there are devoted to “I just accidentally ate a yogurt cup that was one day past its expiration date. Is it going to kill me?”
blink It’s not a question of “why do people like to get drunk and have fun” so much as “why does this business model, which I would think would be counterproductive for these reasons, seem to be so successful?”
I know a little more now, and if I were younger and single-er, I’d probably try going to them more often. As it is, I now know that there are specific different types of bars, and that I shouldn’t assume that they’re all like the overly-noisy ones I’ve happened to run into the few times I’ve been. (Though I agree with the person above who said that it would be much more convenient if they were labeled on the outside, or if the US had the bar/pub distinction that the UK does!)
You are a very bad man.
Personally, I go to bars to chat to my friends. They have this really cool thing where they have lots of different drinks and you can choose different ones without any need for planning. Like sometimes I want a Guinness but after a couple I may be all “I totally could have an ESB right now” and shit! they have ESB there and I can drink it without having to have thought about this when I was sober.
And I’ve got a girlfriend yet I still go to bars. And I don’t try to pick anyone up.
Amazing.
And sometimes when I cook at home I have it intentionally dark, with just candle lighting. They cool it “mood lighting” and it is cosy.
You are Clark Kent and I claim my five pounds. Seriously, you can hear noise but you have to strain to make out words. Either that or you speak really, really loud. You should probably do something about that, someone at my work is the same and it gets on my tits.
Different restaurants have different price ranges. The price also covers you not having to go to the hassle of buying the food, transporting it home, preparing it, serving it and cleaning up afterwards. But all that can be fun, there’s a place for it. But there’s also a place for not having to do this.
I seriously cannot see how people cannot see this. Are you being intentionally faux socially awkward?
Oh and round this way social conventions are much more about sexual equality to the point that I have dated many women that would not be happy having things bought for them. The bill gets split. My current girlfriend insists on it, despite her being a student and hence me making an arseload more than her. Perhaps you should move to Sweden.
amanset, that sucking noise? That was a woosh. Yes, wheresmymind was being “intentionally faux socially awkward”.
My favorite bar, where I spend a couple evenings each week, has 40 beers on draft. The beer is reasonably priced and the clientele is mostly beer savvy. Having downed a few hundred drafts, I am given a dollar discount on each glass. I am in a relationship, and am not looking for women, although I do permit myself to do some casual window shopping.
But the best part? When I finish my pint, there is a very nice young lady interested in fetching whatever I’d like next.
I had an inkling but the opening sentence threw me.
Same here, and I’m happy that my wife shares my appreciation of the craft beer boom.
I cant recall ever buying a woman a drink in a bar even in college. I didnt even consider it a hunting ground. I was probably considered immature at that age though. Every time I dated a girl for more than a couple weeks, she felt like she could offer her opinion about every aspect of my life, so I would disengage. I spent most of my youth avoiding women.
People go to bars because they like to drink. When people drink they like to be around other drinkers. (At least the ones who go to bars do. I suppose some people like to drink at home.) People like to talk about sports and movies and politics when they drink and a bar is a place where you can always do that, any time it’s open, and order a wide variety of drinks and snacks while you do. It’s just that simple.
People are putting too much emphasis on the getting laid aspect. Sure it’s part of the reason people go out, but it’s hardly the only part, and often not the most important part.
Nope, that aint me. I do not have a tap system at home, hence I go to a place where I can get what I thirst for.
I typically find an uncrowded place to sit at the bar, get a draft, and open my IPad.
Personally, I’ve never understood bars myself. When I’ve been in relationships, sometimes she would want to go to a bar, and we’d end up ordering an overpriced drink, have to be right next to eachother to hear anything the other said, and pretty much not really interact with anyone else. If she’d want to dance, I kind of get that part of it, but if we’re just going to get a couple of drinks and chat, I’d rather be home where it’s less crowded, the drinks are cheaper, it’s quieter, and we’re more comfortable.
That I’m single now, I see nothing but negatives in going to a bar, particularly since I don’t really drink very much. As in, I’ll drink a little socially, like when I go to a party, but maybe a drink an hour or something, not even enough to buzz or get tipsy. Sure, I could meet someone there, but I’m meeting someone that hangs out in a place and does something that I don’t really do, so the chances of us having any real commonalities is low enough to not be worth the time and effort to do it other than if one is just looking for a hook up and doesn’t really care at all about getting to know the other person.
Oh, and worst of all, they almost always have terrible music. The only bar I know with decent has decent music because they have live bands, in which case I’m there to see the bands, not drink or socialize, though I do often end up socializing with people because, well, we actually have a common ground of the music.
Sure, it’s good to go out, but there’s other options besides going to a bar. So the only times I end up at one is if I want to spend time with a specific person or group of people and that’s the place that’s chosen.
You don’t socialise with anyone apart from your partner when you are in a relationship?
It seems like some people here either don’t have many options when it comes to bars or are horrible at picking out fun ones.
Socialize, yes…but with friends, not with strangers.
I think the disconnect here is that for some people, things seem more meaningful and rewarding when done in a public setting. It’s not necessarily about meeting/socializing with/sleeping with strangers (although it’s fun to have that possibility) as much as it is being in a public place.
I’m one of those people- I prefer to study at libraries and coffeeshops than my own perfectly nice desk. I find working at home to be dreadfully stifling and would actively avoid a job requiring it- I like getting dressed up, making the commute, chatting with my coworkers and generally being part of the office. I’d rather run at the gym or in a park than on my own treadmill. When I can, I like to read a book or even surf the Dope from a nice park bench.
For whatever reason, even doing relatively fun things at home registers in my head as “doing nothing.” I find pretty much everything, including having a with friends, more enjoyable if I’m out and about.