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Leamington Letters #47: "The past is a foreign country"

29/4/2013

22 Comments

 
“The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.”

We were reminded of the truth of Hartley’s aphorism yesterday when six of us took a cab into the deep south of Warwickshire  to eat in the 1970s. Our destination was a restaurant called The Butcher’s Arms, a quite beautiful building in a small hamlet, which has an iconic reputation amongst a certain class in that part of the county.

It was an illuminating experience, in which we appeared to be playing minor roles in a comedy of town and country manners, a latter-day re-write of She Stoops To Conquer.

This is not intended to be a restaurant review, although for the record I note that the wine was excellent and not unreasonably priced, and that the food was not excellent and not reasonably priced.

What was interesting was the atmosphere, the culture, of the establishment. If we had on the journey engaged in flippant thoughts that we may perhaps épate le bourgeois, it was clear from the moment we entered the bar that we were as much on display as the expensive, sports and vintage cars in the car park.
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The restaurant is unashamedly, even proudly, a throwback to the ‘70s. When it opened, it was the height of fashion, a destination for Coventry captains of industry, the lawyers and accountants, the masons and landowners, the councillors and aldermen of the county. Today, it is a refuge for a class whose time has come and gone. The conversation is of trips to Spain or Antigua. The service, if one is admitted to the inner circle, is fawning. The menu is reassuringly familiar.

The only things that are even slightly risqué are the Pirelli calendars  which adorn the walls of the lavatories.

Yet it was yesterday and is regularly full, even over-full.

I suspect this is because there is no alternative. No other establishment caters for this clientele. And so, regularly and frequently, the rich but not famous gather together to celebrate themselves and their lives and their way of life. Importantly, they can do it away from the hoi polloi, from those who – like the six of us – do not share their values.

It would be unfair to say that we were unwelcome, but we were not welcomed. We watched the fawning service on the other tables, but did not experience it. Wine was not offered to us to try, but merely deposited on the table. The waiting staff, so ubiquitous for others, failed to make eye contact or acknowledge that, as later arrivals were presented with their main courses, we had yet to order our starters.

It was a salutary experience for all of us. Accustomed to a milieu which is multi-racial, multi-cultural and all-embracing, this exclusiveness was alien to us. We did feel as if we had stepped into a foreign country. We did feel that they do things differently. We did feel excluded.

This was not a class issue. It was not even about some Weberian complication regarding status.

What we had done was stumble into a cult.

We were watching a form of ritual, a kind of Masonic practice which only adepts are able to appreciate.

Weird!

Today's listening: Rick Gekoski on Radio 4. I intend to review his new book Lost, Stolen or Shredded when I have given it due consideration. Watch this space.
22 Comments
Geoff Stear link
29/4/2013 03:33:12

Listened to Rick too and have quite a few memories of the Butcher's - though not the right sort of client I have fond memories of eating there. Interesting to hear it has n't moved with the times. Was Heseltine in - but he probably has moved on!

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Max
30/4/2013 04:41:46

Hanseltine definitely moved on. He's not that daft. But the place itself is a time warp. Your memory must be retry good if you can still recall, fondly or otherwise, eating there. I have a vague recollection of visiting with Bill and Sheila in ... 1978? Good to hear from you. Xxx

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Ann Wood
29/4/2013 03:59:16

we had a leisurely lunch at Bar and Kitchen (Waterloo) yesterday - after nearly 3 hrs we realised that the party of 6 at the next table included Lord & Lady Kinnock.... politically aware - moi??!! Interestingly Neil K did a lot of the talking - but only to his table, not the whole room.... for someone who wasn't at MT's funeral, he had a few choice anecdotes!!

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Max
30/4/2013 04:44:43

Ah yes. The Waterloo Bar & Kitchen before, during on one occasion, and after performances at the Old Vic. Neil Kinnock doing most of the talking? Who would have thought it?! Look forward to hearing the stories ...

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Allan Roberts
29/4/2013 04:16:12

I like the thought that the regulars are part of a cult. I wonder whether one's choice of restaurant is a means of defining oneself and joining a club. Not merely in the Cheers sense of a clique, but as part of a broader grouping. We've all walked into pubs where the regulars turn round and glare when a stranger enters. It seems as if you encountered a similar phenomenon. This was their meeting-place, their Lodge, their space.

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Max
30/4/2013 04:49:32

I think that's right. We had invaded their space. But interesting how quickly they sussed us. True, there was not a Viyella shirt between us but we're not that strange. A friend entitled his review "You're not from round here are you?".

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Jimbolian link
29/4/2013 05:37:22

The food was insulting and the service inedible.. i've waited almost 24hrs to write that.. : )

However it was a cracking afternoon which will no doubt provide anecdotes for years to come, or at the very least define a new baseline for "porcaria"

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Max
30/4/2013 04:54:23

Had to look up 'porcaria'. But yes. A great afternoon apart from the food and service.

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myers
29/4/2013 06:44:12

Good God Max, you eating at the funny handshake club! The Butchers Arms Priors Hardwick, established deep in leafy Warwickshire via Portugal,with Leno Pires wearing his Jag Badge. Old haunt of Sir John Egan and Patrick! Thank heaven at least JLR have moved on!

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Max
30/4/2013 04:56:10

Are you confirming my suspicion of Masonic influence? Old haunts die hard ...

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Mark Dalton
29/4/2013 08:11:59

As their numbers decline, so do their refuges. Supply and demand, as they would understand. But the fewer places remain for them, the more fiercely they will protect their space.

One thought: was it merely like a Masonic lodge, or was it the real thing, into which you had inadvertently stumbled - through a wardrobe, perhaps?

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Max
30/4/2013 04:59:40

This is two suggestions that my flip allusion to the masons might contain a grain of truth. And I've just found an apron and trowel in the car ...

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CJ
29/4/2013 09:06:13

Interesting post. It's clear you knew where you were heading gastronomically speaking. But if you go for retro cuisine, why so surprised at the demographic of the clientele and the staff? Can't have it both ways. Or maybe you can in your trendy bijou eateries!

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Max
30/4/2013 05:03:21

Fair point. But can assure you that we didn't ask for this experience: we just fancied a good Sunday lunch in the country. We didn't get that unfortunately.

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Matt Smith
1/5/2013 04:34:34

It is surely not an original thought that one's choice of restaurant is defining. Wilde in the Cafe Royal. Your man Sartre in Flore and Deux Magots. Luvvies in the Ivy. Old Labour in the Gay Hussar. Even you in Wilde's. There may however be a paper in the interaction between coterie/cult and the establishment itself: to what extent do customers influence a restaurant bar

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Matt Smith
1/5/2013 04:40:53

... Your comment feature cut me off. If one sets outta create a refuge for a certain kind of person - I will avoid saying class of person - then that's marketing, astute or otherwise. But if the bar is adopted or taken over by a certain kind of person, then that's ... What? Serendipitous? If you were the proprietor of this place, how would you feel? Would you try to change and attract a different clientele, if such exists in that part of the world. I doubtit. I suspect you would learn to live with and even love the guys who put money in your till each day. Well?

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Max
2/5/2013 00:59:46

A good point, and one which gave me pause. I doubt whether I would be capable of running such an establishment. What I love about our place is its eclecticism. Few, if any, will share all my politics, musical and literary tastes, but all enjoy engaging with them. As I said, a multi-racial, multi-cultural, all-embracing milieu.

Sean
2/5/2013 04:10:24

This blog post made me laugh. Reminded me that when I was training to be a chef in Stratford between '85 and '87 this establishment was held up as the epitome of elegant dining, and the dream to work at for a lot of us due simply to the hushed tones in which it was discussed. Hilarious. I might have to go in for a pint one day just for sport.

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Max
2/5/2013 04:53:07

Ooh, do tell. Where? Welcombe? The great Sean Hill had his first establishment in Stratford in the late 70s before moving to Gidleigh. I nearly went bust trying to stop him going bust. Still my favourite chef ...

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Sean
3/5/2013 05:35:46

Is that question aimed at me? I trained for my City & Guilds 706 1&2 and 707 1&2 at Stratford College. I think the scorch mark on the restaurant ceiling from my first effort at cooking Crepe Suzette at table is probably still there.

Rick Hough
9/5/2013 11:25:40

Max, I truly loved reading this piece. Who but the dim-bulb, preening aristocracy could ever believe in such a bankrupt idea as "exclusive hospitality". This should be required reading for all of us in the hallowed business of facilitating contentment in behalf of someone other than ourselves.

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Max
11/5/2013 05:31:14

Thanks Rick. Problem is, the idea may be bankrupt but the establishment assuredly isn't. Strange business, this, isn't it? To baseball: Watched Lester's one-hitter last night. Great to see him back. But an unfortunate losing streak. In most cases, we could put the loss down to a single play ....

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    Max Smith

    European writer, radical, restaurateur and Red Sox fan. 70-something husband, father, step-father, grandfather and son. Resident in Warwick, England.

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