On the matter of pubs

[moonlite_tryst]

Specifically, ye olde tradional british pubs.

Over the last 4 years I have read many fics and most of them have adhered to canon details in some form or other. But time and time again I'm thrown out of a fic once the characters enter one of the pubs in the wizarding world; pubs which, by their very location in the wizarding world, I expect be traditional (unless refurbishment is mentioned) but find contain unfamiliar elements such as the booth, the counter and the barkeep. *warning, image heavy*



Ladies and gents, may I present the traditional bar:







That's bar people, not counter. To most Brits, a counter is something in a cafe, or even a shop.

Traditional british pubs have - and this is the important bit - open seating: chairs around tables, stools at the bar.








They do not have booths. You may find a booth or two in one of the reproduction pub interiors that now grace most Muggle city centres, such as the Eerie pub chain or Weatherspoons, but finding booths in an unrefurbished traditional pub would be highly unlikely. And if there's one thing you can rely on in the wizarding world, it's tradition.

Finally, for most of us Brits, it's usual to order beer from either a barman or a barmaid, although that doesn't mean that barkeep is incorrect. The term was unfamilair to me until I read fanfic, but I couldn't find any Google entry that defined barkeep as being of either english or american origin.

So please folks, if you intend any witch or wizard to enter ye olde Leakey Cauldron or other unmodernised establishment, leave the booths and counters out.

Comments

[moonlite-tryst.livejournal.com]

Believe me, ordering food in a pub can be confusing for us Brits because different outlets can have different methods. Some of the chains such as Harvester will allow you to leave a tab open in case you wnt dessert or more drinks, others will require payment after you've eaten. Some have waiter staff, others don't and use table numbers.

Regarding the booths, if an author takes time to set up the wizarding world in their fic as JKR sees it, then why not do a Google image search for traditional pub interiors? *crosses fingers and hopes that Warner Bros didn't have a booth in the Leaky Cauldron*