If you ask an English expatriate what he misses most about England, it is likely that a good pint of ale at the local pub would rank highly. I know that when I’m asked this question, the absence of the ale and the pub are always amongst the first things lamented. It is, for instance, no surprise to an English reader of Out of the Silent Planet, the first novel in C. S. Lewis’ Space Trilogy, that the novel’s protagonist, newly-returned from enforced exile on Mars, makes straight for the nearest pub and orders a pint of bitter! What else is one expected to do after returning home from a period of exile? It is noteworthy that Lewis’ protagonist, Ransom, is modelled in part on J.R.R. Tolkien, who has immortalized the essence of England in his depiction of the Shire and has immortalized the English pub in his description of the Prancing Pony at Bree. As for Lewis and Tolkien themselves, they met regularly at their favourite pubs in Oxford, most famously at the Eagle and Child, for nights of inspirational conviviality. Needless to say, following in their illustrious footsteps, I have every intention of continuing this noble tradition upon my next visit to Oxford, at the end of next month, for the Oxbridge Conference of the C. S. Lewis Foundation. My appetite is whetted already at the prospect of wetting my lips on the ambrosial amber!
Something of the spirit of the English pub, and the spirit of England itself, is encapsulated in a series of television commercials for Courage Best, a brand of bitter, featuring the music of the loveable cockney duo, Chas and Dave. Although the product being advertised is not worthy of the quality of the commercials, nor of the quality of England’s multifarious microbrews, which put the relative blandness of Courage Best to shame, the commercials are nonetheless great fun and are culturally evocative of an England that is passing away. Here’s the link to all six commercials:
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