Beer Bum

I really like Ginger Ale.  When Drew, Janita, and I went for a drink in Soho, Janita got me a Ginger Beer.  In the UK, bartenders will tell you that Ginger Beer is similar to Root Beer and better than Ginger Ale.  They might be right and I might be simple.  It was clear; it tasted like soda water with fresh ginger and a splash of sweet.  Unfortunately, my tolerance for unprocessed, pure ginger is low and my taste buds threatened to strike – which brings me to the point*.

We were standing outside on the sidewalk having our drinks and a chat when I made the decision to ditch my ginger beer so that I would stop forcing myself to sip it.  I sat the glass on the ledge behind me near some empty glasses patrons had left.  As we stood there carrying on with our convo, I saw movement out of the corner of my eye.  Someone was bending down in the direction of the ledge where my glass sat.  It’s normal for pub staff to come by and clear glasses so it didn’t seem strange, but the motion attracted my attention.  The man picking up my glass wasn’t an employee; he had wandered over from nowhere to get a drink.  The poor soul only found half a glass of ginger beer.  After one good sized gulp he left the drink and quickly headed for a new target across the street.  I’m am sure he needed something to wash that ginger down.

I have heard tell of these homeless men that wander from pub to pub finishing off beers that people have left.  I have also heard that you should not leave your drink unattended while you go to the toilet.  Now I know for  myself that these things are true.  My next mission is to discover if it is true that I should not assume that every steaming or crusty old pile I pass on the sidewalk was left by a dog.

*Drew would most likely argue that I took a very long way to the point.  It’s my blog entry and I’ll use too many words if I want to : )