Has the British Pub Jumped the Shark?

Travel Blog  •  Julia Ross  •  08.15.08 | 12:51 PM ET

Sadly, yes, according to this rather depressing essay in the Telegraph. Britain’s smoking ban and drinks promotions run amok “have transformed the average British pub from a haven of smoked glass, polished brass and mahogany into blaring dumps filled from one end to the other with quiz machines, karaoke stages, and drunken teenagers,” laments Andrew O’Hagan.

Sounds like drinking to excess isn’t solely an issue for Brits abroad.

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* Ken Livingstone’s London: An Ex-Mayor’s Tour

Tags: Food, Europe, England, News and Briefs

Julia Ross is a Washington, DC-based writer and frequent contributor to World Hum. She has lived in China and Taiwan, where she was a Fulbright scholar and Mandarin student. Her writing has appeared in the Washington Post, Time, Christian Science Monitor, Plenty and other publications. Her essay, Six Degrees of Vietnam, was shortlisted for "The Best American Travel Writing 2009."


1 Comment for Has the British Pub Jumped the Shark?

Jack from eyeflare travel tips 08.16.08 | 2:47 PM ET

O’Hagan woefully exaggerates his piece. The British pub is alive and well. There are however more and more stand-up drinking places that try for a pub feel, and yes, you’ll find lots of 18-year-olds off their face in there.

Just pick your place, and you’ll still have a great time over a pint or two in a pub over here.

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