Half a Glass of Chilled Beer －グラス半分の冷えたビール－

French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre once wrote a play in which three characters are punished in the afterlife by being forced to spend an eternity locked together in a room.  This is sometimes summarised in the phrase, “Hell is being locked in a room with your friends”, or just, “Hell is other people.” 

Sartre’s vision of Hell came to mind this week when more than sixty people were trapped for several days and nights in a pub in the north of England.  People gathered at the pub to see an Oasis tribute band when there was a sudden flurry of snow.  The pub became cut off, and the concert-goers as well as the band were snowed in.  The strangers had to sleep on floors and sofas, and spend days trapped in a small space with strangers, listening to covers of Oasis songs.  Sartre probably would have committed suicide by the second day. 

But being stuck in a pub has its good points too.  English poet William Blake once said, “A good local pub has much in common with a church, except that a pub is warmer, and there is more conversation.” 

Perhaps a comparison of Sartre and Blake says something about the differing temperaments of the English and the French? 

The snowed in patrons seem to have sided with Blake, and taken the view that their glasses were half-full, not half-empty.  Speaking to the media about the incident, the pub owner said, "All of our guests have just been wonderful, so we've been incredibly lucky. They've been very supportive, understanding and patient.”  She said customers had helped out with washing up, clearing tables and collecting glasses. 

I must say that I’m not a big fan of Oasis.  After hearing a dodgy cover version of Wonderwall for the fiftieth time in four days, I probably would have agreed with Sartre.

 

Vocabulary:

a tribute band – a band that plays only cover versions of one particular band

a flurry of snow – a sudden heavy snowfall

to be snowed in – to be trapped and unable to leave because of heavy snow

a patron – a customer; someone who supports a business etc. with their money

dodgy – of low quality; unreliable