A British colleague suggested we visit an authentic pub, one that Charles Dickens and Samuel Johnson and even Winston Churchill frequented. It has a name that would draw any tourist – Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese – but unlike Disneyland it’s the real deal. Reconstructed in 1667, presumably after the great London fire of 1666, it is a mix of rooms and bars on Fleet Street.
We made reservations for the “Chop Room” which serves food and drinks, as opposed to just drinks.
The Chop Room serves English dishes, like sausages on mashed potatoes, and fish and chips with mashed peas. (Aside: why must peas be mashed? I find them perfectly acceptable whole.) The dishes were probably eaten circa 1667, but I suspect the beer was not authentic. Due to an unfortunate alcohol tax mandated in modern times, we found our beers watered down. Think Budweiser. Benjamin expressed great outrage at this and Steven consulted his favorite LLM to discover what could be the matter. Meanwhile, a new waiter had forgotten to open the flue in the corner fireplace, and the Chop Room filled with smoke. Windows were opened, the fans turned on. But it was like an indoor campfire.
We were moved upstairs to the smoke free upper lounge, with wood paneling. Higher class surroundings, presumably.
No time for dessert, as we had to dash to see a play at the Shakespeare Globe. Shakespeare’s Globe had to be rebuilt, but done up just as it was. (The city had to grant a special dispensation to recreate the thatched roof, the only thatched roof license granted after the great fire of 1666.) The Globe predates Ye Old Cheshire Cheese, so we went from old to older. But more on Shakespeare’s Globe in another post.
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