Of course, sometimes you go out to eat just to fill up. But going out is something else entirely. Sure, you want to eat—and maybe have a drink—but what really makes it special is the whole experience. Depending on the place and occasion, that can be something truly special, like a multi-course meal crafted by culinary artists (m/f/d). It could also be an evening featuring special wines you’ve always wanted to try—but have never had the chance to taste in that particular combination, for example. All of this usually happens (depending on the situation) alone, as a couple, or with one or two friends—in other words, in some kind of group setting. But there’s also a completely different option, where you go out (alone, as a couple, or with one or two friends) to enjoy a mix of all these things, with something extra on top that money can’t buy: atmosphere.
There used to be more places and occasions like this® than there are today. The “Weetschaff op d’r Eck”—the corner bar—has been celebrated many times in the local dialect by the Cologne band Bläck Föös. These neighborhood bars were, of course, places to meet up for a drink (and a hearty meal)—but they were also places where, at their best, people came together who wouldn’t necessarily have crossed paths otherwise: young and old, rich and poor, bosses and employees (well, to be honest back then: employees, even if they were women). The pub as a place of social balance—with special consideration for “who knows what else”—is surely the subject of a thesis or two at one university or another.
