He's Starting Already!

[porphyry]

I well knew that before Malkhos and I went shopping to help furnish this new house that we would disagree about what to buy, not necessarily because our tastes differ that much but because, quite simply, we are middle class. I'm more or less comfortable being middle class; he, however, has a sense of entitlement that derives from his sense of aesthetic superiority. I can't argue that--he does have good taste. We just can't afford it.

One place we part ways, though, is that he loves leather furniture and I don't. So while we were furniture shopping today, first thing he does is sits down on a black leather couch and makes himself at home.

"I hate it," I said.

"But why? I've seen pictures of Oscar Wilde sitting on leather couches. Won't that dissuade you from your insanity?"

"I've seen pictures of Oscar Wilde in prison, too," I replied. "Which reminds me, if I let you have your way, we'd be in a debtor's prison if we got all the things you want. It's a good thing there aren't debtors prisons anymore, unless you count credit card companies, which is about the same thing. I love Oscar Wilde as much as you--tell you what. You can have your leather couch if you promise to die on it and have a deathbed conversion to Catholicism like Oscar did."

"But this is the kind of thing they used to have in the gentlemen's clubs," he said.

"I don't think they have those anymore, either," I said. "Besides, I don't know why, but leather furniture always reminds me of a pimp."

He started to laugh at me so hard he brought on a coughing fit. When he recovered, he told me I was ridiculous. In the end, we compromised, agreeing on a couch (non-leather), tables, Dionysian-like lamps (they have pine cone accents) and a rather Klimtian-looking art nouveau-ish chair.

Comments

[jermynsavile.livejournal.com]

Champagne tastes and beer money - it's the story of aesthetes the whole world round! This story is lovely, made me smile.

As for gentlemen's clubs - there are still plenty of them round the St James's area of central London. And yes, for the most part they do have leather chairs.

Unfortunately, though the clubs are still in good shape, the phrase "gentlemen's clubs" is suffering. It is now being widely used to describe places where scantily clad women gyrate in close proximity to their male clientele - it's starting to rather cheapen the brand!

[malkhos.livejournal.com]

You obviously have never priced the kinds of French and Belgian beers I drink.

[jermynsavile.livejournal.com]

We live in rather closer proximity to France and Belgium, the costs of import are therefore rather less prohibitive (though admittedly I've yet to try Vielle Bon Secours, which sells exclusively in London for £39=$60 a pint).

And what's wrong with good English beers I wonder? The price on import probably isn't any cheaper, but there are some lovely brews that you might enjoy if you ever fancy a change.

[malkhos.livejournal.com]

There is an English beer I remember he favors--at least, I think it's English--which featured a tire on the label. I liked the label a lot. Can't remember its name. He also loves Old Peculiar... that's English, isn't it? So his beer tastes include English beers--or most anything as long as it has no connection to Anheuser-Busch or any other mass-marketed, mass-produced brewery.

[jermynsavile.livejournal.com]

You know, it's funny, but for a while there in the 1980s, products like Budweiser were very fashionable amongst the types who like to do things that are fashionable.

Ironically, it's now much more fashionable to drink the other Budweiser - or at least will be until the Czech government succeeds in privatising it and Anheuser-Busch then buys it in order to stifle the competition.

[malkhos.livejournal.com]

Mme. Malkhos was largely right in her response. Old Peculiar is my favorite beer, but for some reason a few years ago it was abundant here, but now I haven't seen a bottle in years.

I didn't mention the English beers because they are far cheaper here than their continental brethren.

[jermynsavile.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry to hear it. Old Peculiar is a fine ale. I wonder why its disappeared in America, it's still freely available everywhere over here.

[siamhussein.livejournal.com]

One things I miss about my assignments to Britain is striding into a pub, slapping the counter, and ordering "Beer!" I would probably get shot in Texas for acting this way. But for some reason it goes over in the U.K.

[malkhos.livejournal.com]

Yesterday Andrew attended a birthday party held for one of his little friends from school. Being around a dozen or so five-year-olds in a bowling alley made me nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room fulla rockin' chairs, so I made Malkhos get me some whiskey at the bar. Jack Daniels, too.

[jermynsavile.livejournal.com]

My first ever visit to a pub, playing truant from school at lunchtime with some friends, involved my being sent to the bar to order (with my bright green school blazer folded up under my arm so that I wouldn't look so much like the sixteen year old schoolboy i so obviously was). I boldly declared to the barmaid that I wanted "A pint of beer, please."

She asked what beer I wanted.

I was stumped, I didn't realise that there would be a choice!

[siamhussein.livejournal.com]

I always just drink whatever they give me. And it is always good. Try my approach sometime!

[malkhos.livejournal.com]

Is it a bar? (See, I told you I was middle class.)