Saturday night ‘chic’.
Posted by Big John on August 13, 2007
These days it is very unusual for me and the old ‘trouble and strife’ to go out on a Saturday evening unless it is for some special occasion; but as the weather last Saturday was very pleasant, and there was bugger all on TV we decided to stroll to the pub for a couple of pints and then pick up a take-away from the nearby ‘Chinese’.
Now when I was a young man I would not have dreamed of going out on a Saturday night unless I was wearing a jacket, shirt and tie, pressed trousers and polished shoes. OK, so I know that those days are long gone, but I still considered changing into a smart shirt and a pair of lightweight pants.
“Don’t bother” said ’she who must be obeyed’ .. “Just go as you are. No one will notice”.
So I did, and she was right, as I blended in perfectly in my shapeless T shirt, with it’s worn out print on the back advertising a French fishmonger, my baggy shorts and my old stained beach shoes. In fact I was probably one of the smartest people in the pub.
Most of those standing around the bar with pints in hand, were wearing sweaty sleeveless tops, exposing sunburned muscles, and various styles of shorts, cut to show off the tattoos on their hairy legs … and that was just the women !
Shaven heads and large bellies were much in evidence, so I felt quite at ease, although the lack of metal hanging from my ears, nose and eyebrows did rather mark me out as a bit of an imposter.
A few lads were sporting replica football shirts and I noticed that a couple of them were giving me funny looks as they sipped from their bottles of ’Icehofbrewboombiermeisterpils’ or whatever it’s called. Then I realised that they had seen the back of my T shirt and were trying to remember if …
… ‘Poissonnerie’ played for Marseille or Montpellier.
John-Ward Leighton said
Being as I’m temperance these days I don’t frequent any of the local watering holes. The closest I get to a “local” is a coffee bar six blocks from my crib that doubles as a wifi outlet for computer geeks and a pick up point for the “Johns” to pick up their “Ho to go”.
It’s a place where I can scribble in my journal without being harassed but the late night beggars, not that any of them at least the regulars would dare to approach me because anyone I don’t know gets my kill or don’t kill attitude.
As far as dress is concerned I’m easily odd man out because I still wear a jacket and pressed trousers with perhaps a solid colour T shirt, clean shoes and my airborne beret.
I have never cottoned to the droppy drawer thing with their plumber’s cleavage in the rear and pubic hair in the front. I’m amazed that so many people out there have horrible
tattoos and this puncture thing for their bling completely mystifies me.
JWL
Ginnie said
I wonder if “old trouble and strife” has been going out a bit on her own. She sure seemed to be more attuned to what’s proper for a Saturday night date than you were !!
Hmmmmmmmmm.
Big John said
Nice to hear from you again John-Ward. Sorry that this comment got held by my ‘Akismet’.
Terri said
I’m still chuckling….lol
But oh so true…what ever happened to dress code? Gone the way of everything else, I guess.
I did love visiting England in autumn though…to see men dressed in tweeds, as they stood in the pubs with their pints. Guess nothing stays the same.