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Campus Life- Letters from Oxford University

The pleasures of the pint

By Wahei Aoyama


パブの楽しみ

イギリスで昔から多くの人たちに愛されてきたパブ。単にお酒が飲める場所というだけでなく、庶民たちの社交の場としての役割も果たしてきました。それは大学の街・オックスフォードにおいても変わらず、学生たちにとっても、町のあちこちにあるパブは、日ごろの厳しい学業から解放されるいやしの場ともなっているようです。

筆者もお気に入りのパブ Turf Tavern
The national pastime in England isn't soccer. Drinking at pubs is the sport of choice for many Brits, and needless to say, it is no different for university students at Oxford. Students here cherish pub life, and pubs are vital venues for relaxing and escaping from the daily pressures of a university workload.

Pubs are short for public houses. It is in these houses that people on this island have for centuries drunk their sorrows away with a pint of strong ale, or laughed merrily with mates near a warm fireplace on cold winter nights. Pubs shelter us from the cold, they cool and quench our thirst on hot summer days, and they are, quite simply, the social gathering place for the common man.

オックスフォードの教授たちがたむろする King's Arms
Oxford has many pubs. I've never actually counted them, but I guess there are at least 30 pubs just in the city center. The King's Arms, the Turf Tavern and the Bear are three pubs distinct in character, yet representative of the pub culture in this university town.

The pub of choice for the Oxford academic is the King's Arms. It is a big hit for the stereotypical WASPy Ralph Lauren fanatics. The pub's carpet is deep indigo, and the oak interior and plush seating in the back have an aura of bourgeois extravagance. One tutor of mine practically lives at the bar counter. That's probably why I feel uneasy buying a pint there, since my tutor would spot me, grab me and lecture me on property law, even if I were tipsy and begging for mercy. The King's Arms has a good selection of food and is very convenient when one is both hungry and thirsty for a pint.

Perhaps the epitome of traditional Oxford pubs is the Turf Tavern. This watering hole has been around since the 16th century and has been the pub of choice for many philosophers and poets. I'm very fond of this pub, for unlike most pubs in Oxford today, the Turf still has a medieval atmosphere. The stone pathways that lead to the pub make the visitor feel like he is travelling back into the Dark Ages. Another advantage of the Turf is its wide array of different ales, ranging from minor Belgium lagers to popular British bitters.

The Bear is said to be the pub of choice for Japan's Crown Prince when he studied at Merton college. It is the oldest pub in Oxford, dating back to the 14th century. It is also one of the smallest (there are practically only 5 tables), yet its coziness provides for an excellent atmosphere, as do the many college ties that decorate the walls of the Bear's interior. Although there are not as many beers on tap as there are at the Turf or the King's Arms, the Bear makes up for this in warmth and friendliness.

Besides pubs, students often frequent college bars, which are a cheaper alternative to pubs. Every college at Oxford has a private student bar. The ales at college bars, although limited in number, are subsidized, and thus dirt-cheap. Since they're within college walls, college bars are only for students and free from the stampede of tourists that usually clog the pubs in Oxford. This privacy from both outsiders and townsfolk provides comforting security for the student drinker. The only problem is that college bars are packed with students on weekends, and getting a cheap pint can take ages.

Yet all in all, the wealth of pubs provides spice to the daily, monotonous life in this small city. Pubs are the centers of celebration after big university events, like examinations and graduation. I know I too will head straight to my favorite pub after my final exams to drink away the stress and strain of my Oxford life. I pray that day comes soon.



Shukan ST: Feb. 14, 2003

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