Boondock in a Box

While watching the Travel Channel on a relaxing Sunday afternoon before St. Patrick's day, some friends and I came to the most appalling of all realizations. Before we get into it, let's quickly reminisce what we once used to love (and associate) with the local Irish Pub.

1. Guinness. Any true Irish Pub keeps their lines clean so the foam on top of the Guinness is a thick, frothy, white (instead of the beige derivations you get at most American bars).

2. The Local Bartender. Admit how awesome you feel when the bartender at your local bar recognizes you by name when you walk in; and then think about how much better it is that your name is said in a hot Irish accent.

3. European sports. Football (or futbol for those Espanoles), rugby, and more football; ESPN zone can't even come close to the camaraderie felt when watching your favorite football team womp their competitors while yelling at the opposing team's fans from across the bar in as coherent a sentence as you can put together after you've imbibed 7 pints of Guinness.

4. St. Patty's Day pub crawl...finishing off the day at your favorite local Irish pub where you are welcomed home like family. Need I say more?

These are just the first few memories that come to mind as I looked back on many good memories shared in America's version of the Irish Pub. Now it is true that I want to feel this nostalgia and that this nostalgia is very much a result of Hollywood imagery mixed with a bit of Irish immigrant folklore...but is it really too much to ask to have an authentic Irish Pub in your American neighborhood?

On Sunday, I found out that the (unfortunate) answer to this question was, quite frankly, "Yes".

Although I applaud the entrepreneurial spirit of the individuals at the Irish Pub Company (http://www.irishpubcompany.com/who.htm), I must say that I was left in a state of shock and awe. This company offers future Irish Pub Owners its services in the "design, manufacture, and installation of authentic Irish Pubs worldwide." In fact, the Irish Pub Company has built approximately 500 "authentic" Irish Pubs worldwide. They even let you choose from 5 different authentic pub layouts (Country Cottage, Brewery, Gaelic, Traditional, and Victorian Dublin Style)!!! After watching the Travel Channel, I recognized some of our old haunts in NYC were mirror images of those pictured on the show: I was outraged!

What makes a bar/restaurant "authentic"?
As Irish Pub Goers, should we begin asking at the door whether or not the pub was manufactured by the Irish Pub Company?
Is anyone else as disillusioned as I am?

Want more? Check this out: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101959736