Eat Out To Help Out

littleme

250,000th poster!
I don't think my kids would believe me if I told them that years ago, if you went to a pub or social club all the women & children went in one room (disco & bingo) & all the men went into another.... Sounds so strange now.
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
I don't think my kids would believe me if I told them that years ago, if you went to a pub or social club all the women & children went in one room (disco & bingo) & all the men went into another.... Sounds so strange now.
A pub I used to go to was effectively one room in a house. It was run by two elderly sisters. The occasional female customer was allowed to use their indoor facilities - the males had the whole field behind the house.

The room on the right - it was also the Post Office.

Ballybrophy 044.JPG
 

Noah

Well-Known Forumite
A pub I used to go to was effectively one room in a house. It was run by two elderly sisters.

Used to be a number of pubs like that around Cambridgeshire, up towards the fens and across to Suffolk & north Essex. For one the gents was an oak tree with a wriggly tin fence around it. Mass of bluebells flowering in it in the spring.
 

Mudgie

Well-Known Forumite
Used to be a number of pubs like that around Cambridgeshire, up towards the fens and across to Suffolk & north Essex. For one the gents was an oak tree with a wriggly tin fence around it. Mass of bluebells flowering in it in the spring.
In the 1970s they didn't get much better thereabouts than the Ship Inn at Purls Bridge. The Bar on the right was quite busy ( maybe a dozen customers ) so we were directed to the room on the left that was just like an inter-war living room. Approaching the pub on a foggy evening was quite eerie.
Pub toilet trees reminds me of the ash behind the Combermere in Wolverhampton but it was seriously pollarded between my 2018 and 2019 visits and sadly no longer extends above the toilet roof. There should have been a TPO on it.
"Wriggly tin" made me chuckle.
 
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c0tt0nt0p

Well-Known Forumite
We went to the Shire Horse tonight for the first time in over 10 years.

Booked a table for 5.30 and was shown to the table on arrival by the manager. Some tables were out of order and there was plenty of staff around.

Food was average and service was good. A couple of worrying things however;

Despite there being separate entrances and exits into the premises, people were ignoring this and the manager showed no interest in enforcing it.
The same manager spent the whole time moving his mask up and down his face whilst not speaking to customers. It had to be pointed out that we didn't see a single other member of staff even touch their mask.

Needless to say it may be another 10 years before we go back!!
 

littleme

250,000th poster!
We went to the Shire Horse tonight for the first time in over 10 years.

Booked a table for 5.30 and was shown to the table on arrival by the manager. Some tables were out of order and there was plenty of staff around.

Food was average and service was good. A couple of worrying things however;

Despite there being separate entrances and exits into the premises, people were ignoring this and the manager showed no interest in enforcing it.
The same manager spent the whole time moving his mask up and down his face whilst not speaking to customers. It had to be pointed out that we didn't see a single other member of staff even touch their mask.

Needless to say it may be another 10 years before we go back!!
Thank you for an honest review.
 

Carole

Well-Known Forumite
The Carer wants to go 'out' for a meal, but I just can't make myself go.

The thought if going somewhere 'new', after not going to anywhere other than work and a few shops and the drs has become somewhat terrifying to me.

It’s hard out there but this...

1).You’ve put yourself on the front line for more than 4 months, with goodness knows how many undesirables.
What can be worse?

2) Do you want to hide away or live your life? It’s possible to still go out and be safe. Pick your moments.

3) You have been going to work and meeting people.
Some friends of mine are still shielding. They haven’t left the house in four months, not one shop or supermarket or anything.
You are 10 steps ahead of them, take a deep breath, go with your husband and have a meal, if you don’t feel safe, walk away.
 
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littleme

250,000th poster!
It’s hard out there but this...

1).You’ve put yourself on the front line for more than 4 months, with goodness knows how many undesirables.
What can be worse?

2) Do you want to hide away or live your life? It’s possible to still go out and be safe. Pick your moments.

3) You have been going to work and meeting people.
Some friends of mine are still shielding. They haven’t left the house in four months, not one shop or supermarket or anything.
You are 10 steps ahead of them, take a deep breath, go with your husband and have a meal, if you don’t feel safe, walk away.
I do understand this but....

1) I didn't have a choice.....

2)Its sooo hard,,, twice I have gone out with the carer, only to break down in tears, not get out if the car, and make him take me home (& that's just shop's.)

3) The people I am meeting are at my work, somewhere I HAVE to go.

I am struggling. That it s all.
 

Carole

Well-Known Forumite
I do understand this but....

1) I didn't have a choice.....

2)Its sooo hard,,, twice I have gone out with the carer, only to break down in tears, not get out if the car, and make him take me home (& that's just shop's.)

3) The people I am meeting are at my work, somewhere I HAVE to go.

I am struggling. That it s all.

I know that you didn’t have a choice which is why it was incredibly brave of you to put yourself out there when everyone else was hiding at home.
So, think it through logically.
You’ve worked with colleagues in close proximity. Some of them have caught the virus.
You’ve had customers stand very close to you and didn’t respect your space or the two metre rule.
You’ve been shouted at and sworn at.
You’ve been in contact with people day in day out.

You did all that from the beginning when we knew less about the virus than now.

So, having done all that, as I said before, thinking logically, going for a meal, sitting away from other people is going to be much much safer than what you have already been through.
It also depends on the when and where.
Going when the offer is on will be busier than going on a Thursday.
Lunchtime probably quieter than evening.

Your husband has been amazingly supportive to you during this time, cooking all those amazing meals. Wouldn’t it be nice to sit down together, have someone else wait on you and cook for you both?
It could be so lovely.

If you’re really not ready though, you’re not ready.
I didn’t mean to sound interfering or dismissive of your worries, I was trying to be encouraging, supportive.
 
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proactive

Enjoying a drop of red.
I do understand this but....

1) I didn't have a choice.....

2)Its sooo hard,,, twice I have gone out with the carer, only to break down in tears, not get out if the car, and make him take me home (& that's just shop's.)

3) The people I am meeting are at my work, somewhere I HAVE to go.

I am struggling. That it s all.
You're frightened and out of sorts at the moment.

Like much of the population.

Give it time, don't rush.
 

Carole

Well-Known Forumite
We should only do what we're comfortable with right now.

Of course.
It must be extremely hard for someone who has been isolating or working from home to take the first steps out.

I do believe however that it’s a case of managing risks while staying safe and managing the fears as well.

Someone said something to me years ago when I was terrified of doing something
“instead of saying “I can’t do this” , try and be positive and instead say “I am going to try”
I’ve used that mantra ever since, because after that occasion I did try and things weren’t as bad as I’d envisaged.

Another thing I’ve learned is to try and control the fear rather than let the fear control you.

If that person had said to me years ago, “don’t do it then if you’re not ready” I wouldn’t have done it and I might have stayed fearful for a long time afterwards.
She supported and encouraged me, she had more faith in me than I had in myself. She told me to be brave, to feel the fear and do it anyway and I’ve been so grateful for that advice ever since.
 

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
Last night I visited a pub and a restaurant, the first two non-shop buildings since March and it felt very strange indeed. Especially without a mask. I got used to it, mostly, still strange though. I'm out with a few family members next week so that will be round 2, now I've seen the restaurant on a quiet night.

It will get better I'm sure, just slowly. Already thinking of going back to the caravan though!
 

Trumpet

Well-Known Forumite
I do understand this but....

2)Its sooo hard,,, twice I have gone out with the carer, only to break down in tears, not get out if the car, and make him take me home (& that's just shop's.)
Mrs T was the same, managed to get out of the car on one occasion but made a dash back to it when someone came too close in a shop doorway.
We went for a meal out last Friday to celebrate a family birthday. She was very cagey at first but the excellent social distancing measures in place reassured her and she actually enjoyed it. Still keeping away from bars though.
 

proactive

Enjoying a drop of red.
Went for a meal out last night. Must say I was very, very jumpy beforehand (and I normally would much prefer to eat out than in). But the place were taking social distancing very seriously, as were the other punters and we ended up having a really good time (though there was always a little worry at the back of my mind). We've booked again for Monday evening and I'm looking forward to it.

It's a new world out there at the moment and people can only go out into it at a pace that suits them.

Mind you, if the well publicised tossers like the a*shole landlord in Stone and his fcukwit customers behaved with consideration to the communities in which they live, we'd all be feeling much better about things.
 

littleme

250,000th poster!
If you’re really not ready though, you’re not ready.
I didn’t mean to sound interfering or dismissive of your worries, I was trying to be encouraging, supportive.

You didn't, don't worry! :hug:

And if my reply came across as sharp, it wasn't meant to.
 
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