a convenient truth

A post on [MeFi](http://www.metafilter.com/58954/Britain-for-Americans) directed me to [a sociologists report on Pubs](http://www.sirc.org/publik/ptpintro.html). It goes in great detail into the social etiquette in Pubs — how to get served, what privileges regulars get, how to distinguish between ‘local’, ‘circuit’ and ‘estate’ pubs. All stuff you know already, but you didn’t know you knew.

Weirdly gripping.

A marvellous [article about Andre the Giant](http://www.moderndrunkardmagazine.com/issues/10_06/10_06_andre_giant.html) in [Modern Drunkard Magazine](http://www.moderndrunkardmagazine.com/index.html). Truly heroic behaviour, and I have known some heroic drunks in my time. Just check this out:

> Sixteen bottles of wine in four hours is a considerable feat, but it gets better. Andre proceeded straight to the ring and wrestled three matches, including a twenty-man battle royal. The 16 bottles of plum wine had no discernible effect on Andre’s in-ring ability. By the end of the evening, Andre had sweated off the wine and found himself growing cranky. He dispatched Hogan for a few cases of beer. Hogan hurried to do as Andre asked, knowing from painful experience that a drunken Giant was a happy Giant, and a happy Giant was less likely to fracture some vital part of an opponent’s anatomy in a fit of grumpiness.

This man was such a hero he had Hulk Hogan around *just to go buy him booze*.