Round and Round the Kitty

Drinking blogs, there had to be a few. 

I was out at a pub the other day and was talking to a few people I had met, well, at the pub (this is an incredibly common occurrence at pubs it seems—new friends come easy). 

Anyway, one of my new friends asked me about the drinking culture in the United States, particularly, college drinking culture. After struggling through a few awkward sentences, trying to find the right combination of "vodka...too much...images too graphic to be put into words...sloppy" I finally just gave up, and said, "It's complicated." I then turned to enter the pub and get another beer.

It was only my second, don't judge. 

However, I hadn't taken a step before my newfound friend stopped me and said, "Whoa there, you're not going to buy a drink by yourself are ye?" 

"Um, well, did you guys want anything?" I said.

"Let me tell you about drinking in a pub," was his answer. 

He then proceeded to tell me about the two modes of drinking which follow. I, being the LG messenger of all things good and (sometimes) alcoholic, pass them onto you.

The Round: How the round works is simple. In a somewhat random manner (roshambo is a popular choice), a starter is selected from the group. That person takes orders from the rest of the people in his or her group and buys all of the drinks from the bar. Then, after those drinks are finished (you will not be waited for if you find yourself behind the group) the next person in line goes up to the bar and does the same thing. IT IS FORBIDDEN FOR YOU TO LEAVE THE GROUP WITHOUT HAVING PAID FOR YOUR ROUND. Plus, it's just rude. Think about it, you're really only paying for as many drinks as you have, but if you cut out early before a complete buying circle has been made, you're losing money. The only way for you to break even is to stay and drink with the group. If the group is particularly large, you could be there for a while...Bear this in mind if you decide to head out with your entire hostel.

The Kitty: The Kitty works along essentially the same principles but with one major difference. Each person, instead of buying a round for the group, puts in a set amount (the "kitty") into an empty pint glass that sits in the middle of the table. It could be £5, £10 or (God forbid) £20. Drinks are then bought with money taken exclusively from the Kitty, and, while you can leave before the cash has been fully depleted, there's no way to get back what you've put in other than in drink. Again then, you're only getting your money's worth if you stay and sit through quite a few pints. 

Then again, leaving early does have its health and sobriety benefits I suppose.