On 11/6/05, John Francis, discombobulated, unleashed: >> >Alas...no real ale! Not a handpump in sight. I'll bet >> >the beer was better there 75 years ago! >> >> Yeah it probably doesn't have that fresh lead taste anymore (from the >> pipes). >> >> I remember hearing a story years ago, which could have been an urban >> legend. Apparently a guy had died of long-term lead poisoning and >> the investigators eventually found that he was always the first into >> the pub when it opened each day, so his first pint would contain beer >> that had been sitting overnight in the lead pipes. > >Almost certainly untrue, for many reasons. > >Not the least of which is that the first duty of the man behind >the bar is to draw off a pint or two to remove the stale beer >from the pipes.
I love this joke: The Man Who Orders Three Beers An Irishman moves into a tiny village in County Kerry, walks into the pub and promptly orders three beers. The bartender raises his eyebrows, but serves the man three beers, which he drinks quietly at a table, alone. An hour later, the man has finished the three beers a orders another three beers and drinks them quietly. The next evening the man again comes in and orders his three beers, several times. Soon the entire town is whispering about the "Man Who Orders Three Beers." Finally, a week later, the bartender approaches the subject on behalf of the whole town. "I don't mean to pry, but folks around here are wondering why you always order three beers?" "Tis odd, isn't it?" the man replies, "You see, I have two brothers, and one went to America, and the other to Australia, but before we parted, we promised each other that we would always order an extra two beers for the others whenever we drank as a way of keeping up the family bond." The bartender and the whole town was pleased with this answer, and soon the "Man Who Orders Three Beers" became a local celebrity and source of pride to the village, even to the extent that out-of-towners would come to watch him drink. Then, one day, the man comes in and orders only two beers. The bartender poured them with a heavy heart, but no one wanted to questioned him about what had happened in his time of mourning. The word flies around town.Prayers were offered for the soul of one of the brothers. After about a week, the bartender says to the man, "Folks around here, me first of all, want to offer condolences to you for the death of your brother. You know-the two beers and all.... The man ponders this for a moment, then replies, " Ah! You'll be happy to know that my two brothers are alive and well! It's just that I have given up my beer for lent. Cheers, Cotty ___/\__ || (O) | People, Places, Pastiche ||=====| http://www.cottysnaps.com _____________________________
