On Wed, 8 Dec 1999, Asan Tu wrote:
The Ascot now looks like an reject from...
I dunno it just looks terrible...
Yup. And when I walked past yesterday,
the staff seemed to outnumber customers.
Well lets see what it's like in a week or so -
we may find that we're the only people in there.
(flame-proof undies on)
right, let's have another perspective here.
The Monkeys forehead doesn't look terrible. It also looks bloody impressive
when walking past the A30 in the middle of the night.
You don't think blue on orange is stomach churning? *8)
It has loud modern music.
It looks completely different from the Ascot as we knew it.
It's got students and younger people drinking in there, and fewer local 30+
residents.
By and large, it looks completely different from every drinking
establishment that I know of in Egham and Englefield green.
Apart from Cafe' Uno just a few minutes walk away?
It's trendy.
And expensive. Or at least the food is - the drinks are the same price as
the Ascot, but most students used to mumble about being costly too. Hardly
enticing to students, who do have plenty of cheap, noisy places to drink
that aren't the SU but are on campus.
Has anyone ever considered that this is exactly the image which the owners
want, a trendy pub/bar, next to the college? There are god knows how many
pubs in the area which are similar to the Ascot which people can go to. If a
student wants somewhere a little brighter and more exciting to go to, it's
either the campus pubs or hopping onto a train to Kingston or the West End.
The Ascot was not at all like any of the other pubs. It was quiet, friendly
to students and close to campus. I don't know of a single pub that had all
3 of those attributes. Most in fact fall over on the 2nd point, some go as
far as to be violently against students drinking in them.
It's almost like the new owner didn't even bother looking at the area first
- there's already plenty of cafe' bars (or bar cafe's) charging an arm and a
leg for a lectuce leaf carved into a shape of a giraffe. What was really
needed was a cheap student pub - cheap pub, good pub food - not a yuppie
nirvana.
I loved how the Ascot used to be, all the lovely upholstery and large
armchairs which you could sink into at the end of a long day. But I also
accept that the Ascot was one of many very similar pubs in the area, and
didn't offer anything really different.
Apart from the 3 things I've just listed?
How many people here have actually seen the Ascot during the rest of the
week, and out of term time? It was bloody deserted! If someone fancies a
quiet drink like I do sometimes, you can go to countless numbers of pubs in
the area for woodfires etc etc.
Or being chased down the street by angry locals? (More so now that we've
given ourselves a rep. for stealing? *8)
Without the societies on campus, the Ascot would have died a long long time
ago, because there were'nt that many things that it offered people. It
didn't have satellite TV. It didn't have music. It didn't have Sky sports.
In fact it didn't really have much going for it apart from the fact that it
was large and did nice chocolate cheesecake.
I agree - that was because the Ascot was an ideal pub for societies. It did
have music playing quietly in the background, but we weren't there to listen
to music. You don't need a satellite TV or Sky sports to talk to people.
We were there to drink, chat and (more importantly) plot and scheme about
who the next committee is going to be. It kinda helps speaking to the new
members at least once before pointing at them and nominating "Thingy" for
chairman *8).
Some people are pretty much complaining that it's not the Ascot that they
remember. That's because it's not the Ascot (duh!). It's the monkey's
forehead. No matter how much we may not like it, or complain about it's
decor etc, it's not going to magically turn back into the Royal Ascot that
we knew and loved.
I see it as simply that we were comparing it to the Ascot since it was ideal
for our needs. It's probably an ideal place to go if you want to wave a
mobile phone around, or talk about your new porsche/jag/swish car.
The monkey's forehead is here to stay. If the owners are not going to
tolerate lightsabres and stuff plastic toys all over the place, then they're
perfectly entitled to do so, and we're perfectly entitled to take our custom
elsewhere. Just don't expect them to lose much sleep over it.
Right - and where do you suggest
IFIS go then?
For gods sake, I wish people would stop clinging onto the past and move on a
little with the times.....
I think you've entirely missed the point of this thread. We're discussing
whether or not the Monkey's Forehead is a suitable pub to hold
IFIS meetings
in - so far it isn't. Crosslands just about fits the bill, but
unfortunately they keep closing it or hiring it out.
Basically we need to find a pub that is open every Thursday, is quiet and
fits the needs of the society. Being close to campus is also a must so it's
easy for new students to find.
And just in case you think a society is something that shows videos once a
week - here is the definition from Websters:
Society (noun)
1 : companionship or association with one's fellows : friendly or
intimate intercourse : COMPANY
2 : a voluntary association of individuals for common ends;
especially : an organized group working together or periodically
meeting because of common interests, beliefs, or profession
3 a : an enduring and cooperating social group whose members have
developed organized patterns of relationships through interaction
with one another b : a community, nation, or broad grouping of people
having common traditions, institutions, and collective activities and
interests
4 a : a part of a community that is a unit distinguishable by
particular aims or standards of living or conduct : a social circle
or a group of social circles having a clearly marked identity <move
in polite society> <literary society> b : a part of the community
that sets itself apart as a leisure class and that regards itself as
the arbiter of fashion and manners
5 a : a natural group of plants usually of a single species or habit
within an association b : the progeny of a pair of insects when
constituting a social unit (as a hive of bees); broadly : an
interdependent system of organisms or biological units
As you can see, it is basically saying that a society is all about a group
of people interacting and communicating who share a common interest. You
can't really interact/communicate if the music is too loud and you're having
to hold your lunch in cos the decor is vile.
Chris
PS Ok - point 5 is only really relevant to the Bob - I left it in for
amusement value.
christ@ #include <stddisclaimer.h> http://www.instituteofcorrection.org.uk/
"So this is really me? A no-style gimbo with teeth druids could use as a
place of worship" - Duaine Dibley (Red Dwarf - "Back to Reality")
