The Builders Arms, New Barnet

Late afternoon and fancied a pint of the finest ipa in north london. I am an infrequent visitor, but a place that if the efort is made you will be well rewarded. the afternoon started with a tinker who was trying to sell remote controlled flying saucers, a very impressive demonstration followed in which I thought that I must have had one pint too many. When the batteries had finally run down it then proceeded to the main music hall act of the evening An inoffensive comment by one of the locals about being proud to be English and how tolerant a country we are, led to one of my strangest ever experiances in a pub. When it was suggested to one of the regulars known as Keith the Hun that he was born in England outrage ensued. It led to ballroom dancing german style in which the male lead gets his partner round the neck and attempts to spin them around to get them as giddy as possible and attempt to dislocate an arm at the same time. Needless to say nul points out of 10 were given for this exibition of German dancing known as the ballroom-blitzkreige. Further pandemonium ensued when a lovely little girl with blond hair of about 3years & 6 months(very germanic looking) who had come to see her grandad Colin voiced in a tellytubby voice her disproval of the dancing. The Hun who I was told went to teachers traing college in Germany sometime between 1935 & 1945 responded in a manner that had the little girl cowering in fear behind her grandad. Colin the grandad then proceeded with the finest impersonation of corporal Jones one could ever wish to see and a stalemate ensued. The testosterne standoff only calmed down when a couple of middle aged women appeared and pacified the Hun. I found out later that the outrage of the Hun was initially caused by his daughter being refused service when sent to buy the sunday papers at the local supermarket because she was under the age of 16. A very strange pub indeed but first class cabaret.

Pete from Finchley

21 Nov 2005 14:47