Talk about a buzz kill.
Every time you recall a memory it has changed from the original experience. Whatever has happened since has influenced your retelling of that moment. We are not static animals; we’re fluid processes continually remembering the past differently dependent upon the situation. You feel like the same person that woke up yesterday, but from a neurological perspective it’s not quite you. The continuum of identity is likely a survival trait that enables us to function within societies, but as the Buddha knew, identity is an illusion. A highly elaborate one that persists for decades (or even a century), but a ruse nonetheless.
And yet we persist in the continuum, indulge the illusion and humor the ruse, as I’m about to do shortly with memories of a particular beer bar that helped forge my own professional identity, then disappeared in the pea soup haze of recollection.
But first, recently I ran across one man’s view of “5 Habits of Highly Successful Beer Bars.” Here’s the condensed version.
1. Knowledgeable Waitstaff
2. Up-To-Date Beer Menu
3. Cleanliness/Maintenance
4. Serving Temperature
5. Glassware
At this point in time there is little point arguing with these conclusions, which seem axiomatic. However, they’re worthy of an addendum; surely these principles are applicable across the wider spectrum of the food and drink sector, and are worth the effort not only at those establishments wishing to be known as “beer bars.”
However, when I think back to one of the most influential beer bars of my wayward youth, I’m not sure any of these five points were considered, much less consistently applied. Then again, I certainly didn’t know any better myself at the time, apart from asking for a glass to accompany my bottled or canned beer.
I speak today of the decade of the 1980s, the presidency of Ronald Reagan, the ascendance (and just as rapid collapse) of Bartles & Jaymes, Bobby Ewing’s infamous shower, and the heyday of The Fat Cat’s Deli & Pub at 1801 Bardstown Road.
The Bard’s Town has occupied this hallowed ground for more than a decade; previously it was home to Big Dave’s, Judge Roy Bean’s, Baja Bay and heaven knows what else, but for a little while, Fat Cat’s was the place to go for those of us pursuing better beer.
There weren’t many drafts, perhaps a half-dozen, but...Read more
