Boozing at Lunch Time?!

connundrum

Hey, just thought I'd throw this out there...

I've an English boss who insists on goin for a few at lunch time, every lunch time. It seems like he is bordering on the alcoholic side of things but he insists that it is tradition in London to go for a few sneaky ones and then come back to the office fully revitalised. I went to lunch with him one day and had 2 (this was more than enough for me thanx) but I noticed that all the young professionals around us were drinking water/orange/coke.

I would've thought that with a drinking culture like ours we would have the same mentality as London i.e. a couple at lunch - but it seems not! It just seems a bit strange.. if not a bit contradictory in that we have the highest "binge drinking" rate in the world, but then we put on the professional mask during the day.

Surely if we went for a couple during the day it'd calm things down at the weekend? (or would it?!) I know that we'd definitely get more business done over a few pints - we are an easy going race of people after all aren't we, up for the craic etc?!

I don't really know, he seems to think that we all need to chill out and stop trying to be too professional, I think that he may need to check into AA.. but does he have a point :rolleyes:

Terry

i prefer not to drink during the day. it makes me tired.
or else i just don't stop until closing.

either way, i don't like doing it. i don't know of many people who do.

hawkmoon269

connundrum wrote:

Hey, just thought I'd throw this out there...

I've an English boss who insists on goin for a few at lunch time, every lunch time. It seems like he is bordering on the alcoholic side of things but he insists that it is tradition in London to go for a few sneaky ones and then come back to the office fully revitalised. I went to lunch with him one day and had 2 (this was more than enough for me thanx) but I noticed that all the young professionals around us were drinking water/orange/coke.

I would've thought that with a drinking culture like ours we would have the same mentality as London i.e. a couple at lunch - but it seems not! It just seems a bit strange.. if not a bit contradictory in that we have the highest "binge drinking" rate in the world, but then we put on the professional mask during the day.

It's funny, as you say it's kind of an English thing (or used to be) They will have a few at lunch and take it easy in the evening. I occasionally have a pint at lunch but it's a very rare occurence.

If he's doing it every day however he may have a problem right enough.

Atrocity

sounds like a pretty cool boss to me :v:

Binomate

Me and some of my mates used to go for pints in between large gaps in lectures. Now we just go home instead and don't bother with either.

WexCan

All for it. Unless you're in a client-facing job. Slurring my words wouldn't sound too great to the lovely callers.

Tazz T

Lunchtime drinking is a sadly missed tradition in modern Ireland. We have no time for it anymore with our busy working lifes and instead try to drink as much as possible at the weekend to make up.

Borzoi

Tazz T wrote:

Lunchtime drinking is a sadly missed tradition in modern Ireland. We have no time for it anymore with our busy working lifes and instead try to drink as much as possible at the weekend to make up.

It's still popular up in Norn Ireland, though less than what it was. Certainly I've worked in England where is was almost obligitory for Friday lunch

Atrocity

My father likes to drink four or five pints every day after work. Then he drives home, full of the joys of life!

connundrum

Tazz T wrote:

Lunchtime drinking is a sadly missed tradition in modern Ireland. We have no time for it anymore with our busy working lifes and instead try to drink as much as possible at the weekend to make up.

Thats what he describes it as, young professionals trying to be all important and.. well professional. But sure enough, these are the same people who end up with their head in a toilet bowl at 3.30am on a saturday night.. how prim and proper is that?

Kolodny

I've a couple of mates on London working in office jobs who would quite regularly go for 'just the one' with lunch. My own mother does it. I don't know anyone in Dublin who does it.

That's not to say that I've never gone to the pub with colleagues and had a drink at lunch time, but it's always been a given that if that happens then no one is going back to work that afternoon. Obviously my employer doesn't believe we'd know when to stop (and quite rightly too )

biko

I've had 1 or 2 at lunch sometimes but find that is slows me down in the afternoon and also I prefer tea, milk or water with food.

Ph3n0m

Atrocity wrote:

My father likes to drink four or five pints every day after work. Then he drives home, full of the joys of life!

And no one else spotted anything wrong with the above post?

The_Goose

Atrocity wrote:

My father likes to drink four or five pints every day after work. Then he drives home, full of the joys of life!

Obviously your father is a complete moron then.:cool:

Dont think i would be up for drinking even one and then giong back to work. Would ya not stink of it and feel tired and do **** all for the rest of the day?
Not that im against not doing anything but either does being fired.:D

Edit You were just to quick for me Ph3n0m

Atrocity

The_Goose wrote:

Obviously your father is a complete moron then.:cool:

Daddy does bad things. Bad daddy :(:(:(

The_Goose

Atrocity wrote:

Daddy does bad things. Bad daddy :(:(:(

Unfortunately it will probably be dead daddy, and dead 7 month old baby and 5 year old girl and mammy who were just on their way home

Atrocity

In his defence, I made it up. Everyone else was telling lies about their father and I wanted to be popular.

biko

Ph3n0m wrote:

And no one else spotted anything wrong with the above post?

He he, I like it - Ph3n0m points at Atrocity "Look, look everyone. He did something wrong!"

dundalk cailin

i personally dont like drinking during the day myself, but i suppose its cool having a laid back (if not too laid back) boss!?

BigEejit

I see this all the time, in fact some work colleagues have a few pints and a couple of shorts at lunch - EVERY lunch. At the start I only drank juice, but now if I used public transport to get to work I'll have A pint at lunch with them ... I just dont drink drive - doing 75mph(+) on a motorway with a couple of pints in you is a recipe for disaster...

It should be noted that I work from home and only rarely meet colleagues for lunch ... I'd say I've had pints with them 3 or 4 times only....

I didnt see it often in Ireland at all, but its extremely commonplace here

Jimi-Spandex

The_Goose wrote:

Obviously your father is a complete moron then.:cool:

Dont think i would be up for drinking even one and then giong back to work. Would ya not stink of it and feel tired and do **** all for the rest of the day?
Not that im against not doing anything but either does being fired.:D

Edit You were just to quick for me Ph3n0m

It's a glass of beer. It's not bloody heroin. Lighten up.

Lump

I'm not able to handle Lunch time/Tea time pints and then back to work for 6 hours (I work 12 hour days) I just get sleepy... Lots of people in my work do it. Doesn't help temptation when there's a bar in the same building

John

monkeyfudge

When I worked out in Dun Laoghaire I used to enjoy a pint of guinness with my lunch...

But where I work now there are no decent pubs around... so I don't do it anymore.

leche solara

Up until smoking ban came in I used to have 4 or 5 pints every lunchtime - it made the afternoon at work amusing. Always did the whole days work in the morning. When smoking ban came in I stopped immediately, and working day seemed endless. Found myself taking on extra work and ended up knackered at end of day.
Have now found a pub where smoking is ok, and I'm back in business. Happy Days.

funk-you

In work i wouldn't find it appropriate for myself or anyone really to have any alchohol in them coming into work. You're here to work to the best of your ability and if you're not doing that you're taking the place of someone that can do it. Saying that though the second the work day is over i'd have no problem getting hammered/ fu(ked up with anyone out of work and have done quite a bit but when you're on the clock its not really appropriate or fair to the rest of the team.

Man i sound like a fu(king prude but if someone is half cut coming back from lunch and not performing they are taking a job away from someone who will work hard and possibly be more deserving. Havin A pint every now and then is cool though but doing it every day is not really on.

Just to ask, would anyone have a problem with employees smoking joints on their breaks? i used to do it when i was younger in sh1tty little jobs and would probably function better than i would after say 2-3 pints.

Siogfinsceal

its an english thing sure look at corrie they are always in the pub ;-) im stunned we dont do it here as is an english colleague who is shocked at our no drinking at lunch views!

I had a scoop at lunch last week but it was a bad idea as I wanted to stay there - maybe thats the problem irish people are compulsive drinkers and if we start at lunch we wont want to leave? anyway, i woul dbe delighted to have a boss like that - it means you can get away with it too - excellent!! monkey see, monkey do ....

MrJoeSoap

connundrum wrote:

I've an English boss who insists on goin for a few at lunch time, every lunch time. It seems like he is bordering on the alcoholic side of things but he insists that it is tradition in London to go for a few sneaky ones and then come back to the office fully revitalised. I went to lunch with him one day and had 2 (this was more than enough for me thanx) but I noticed that all the young professionals around us were drinking water/orange/coke.

David Brent? Anyone?

connundrum

MrJoeSoap wrote:

David Brent? Anyone?

... more like Mike Bassett - England Manager, both in appearance and humour!

gazzer

i always wondered if English people really did go drinking at lunchtime from watching Corrie/Eastenders etc... i couldnt do it even if i had one at lunch i would be drowsy for the rest of the working day... thats one thing that amazes me about Corrie.. i know it isnt real life but surely those girls in the Knicker factory must be breaking loads of health and safety rules by drinking at lunchtime and then going back to work on machines that could do serious damage to them if operated incorrectly..

Atrocity

gazzer wrote:

i always wondered if English people really did go drinking at lunchtime from watching Corrie/Eastenders etc... i couldnt do it even if i had one at lunch i would be drowsy for the rest of the working day... thats one thing that amazes me about Corrie.. i know it isnt real life but surely those girls in the Knicker factory must be breaking loads of health and safety rules by drinking at lunchtime and then going back to work on machines that could do serious damage to them if operated incorrectly..

How the hell can they afford it every day? They're low skilled trollops earning peanuts and still they can afford to buy drinks in the Rovers all week.
Mmm peanuts.

LegacyUser

I don't drink during the day for the simple reason that any time I have done so in the past I have either:
a) returned to work competely giddy and hyper and unable to focus
b) Felt really sleepy and unable to concentrate.

Maybe I just can't handle my drink, I don't know, another thing is for sure though, I definately couldn't afford a pub lunch plus drinks 5 days of the week.

(well maybe I could but I would rather spend my money on clothes, gadgets and boots products )

Steve_o

Atrocity wrote:

My father likes to drink four or five pints every day after work. Then he drives home, full of the joys of life!

Idiot!!!!!

Atrocity

It wasn't meant to be taken seriously.

seamus

I don't drink during the day unless I intend on going home to bed or staying out drinking. After even one pint, I simply can't function anymore, and my concentration drops to nil.

magpie

maybe thats the problem irish people are compulsive drinkers and if we start at lunch we wont want to leave?

Bingo

connundrum

so anyways, my boss has insisted that we go for some pints at lunchtime cos the day has gone rather poorly for us... 4 pints later and I think that the world is great (4 pints and 4 Jameson's later and he thinks that the phone is his enemy and that he should smash it to bits!)

I don't know who is the winner in this situation.. I know that drinking does fcuk up speaking ability (as in it leads to mad stuttering) and it does cause mad rage incidents (on my boss's part at least).

If I was an employer I don't know what I'd recommend.. either you want to be liked or you want an alco staffroom.. thin line to decide betweeen..

Capt'n Midnight

Then there was the tradation of "holy hour" when the pubs would close during the day , some say to get the Civil Servants back to work.

LegacyUser

connundrum wrote:

so anyways, my boss has insisted that we go for some pints at lunchtime cos the day has gone rather poorly for us... 4 pints later and I think that the world is great (4 pints and 4 Jameson's later and he thinks that the phone is his enemy and that he should smash it to bits!)

I don't know who is the winner in this situation.. I know that drinking does fcuk up speaking ability (as in it leads to mad stuttering) and it does cause mad rage incidents (on my boss's part at least).

If I was an employer I don't know what I'd recommend.. either you want to be liked or you want an alco staffroom.. thin line to decide betweeen..

Your boss has a problem, 5 pints every lunch time, plus mixers, just aint healthy!

Tobias Greeshman

Don't have drink at lunch time for the simple reason I have to drive for lunch and not a good idea at all. But when I was in college I'd have the odd pint at lunch and it generally was a bad idea, when one of two things happened:

1. When I went back I was sleepy and very poor concentration, not good.
2. Wanted to stay in the pub.

bagdaddy

The_Goose wrote:

Unfortunately it will probably be dead daddy, and dead 7 month old baby and 5 year old girl and mammy who were just on their way home

I think you may be a bit carried a way , it may happen but it is not probable.

CuLT

Nah, bad idea at lunchtime; though a few of my teachers in secondary school used to come back after lunch on Fridays stoned :v: