I guess I was feeling groggy. We’d looked up a number of bars, but we headed out Thursday without being really set on where we’d go. I’d suggested a dive, but when we saw the crowd hanging around outside, we decided we weren’t in the mood for that divey of a dive.
So as Mindy read the names of a few bars we’d considered, I thought the name “Groggs” sounded the most amusing. I hoped there would be a proprietor named “Grogg” who would greet visitors saying, “I, Grogg. Place mine. You drink.”
(Spoiler: that was not the case.)
One of the other draws was that Groggs was an Irish pub that served naan -- because nothing says Irish like Indian flatbread.
The boar’s head on the wall was surrounded by other fine kitsch, some of it Irish related. A side room had dart boards with electronic scoring, and a group down the bar got a box of darts.
Josiah the bartender asked for our orders, and we both said we needed to think about it for a minute. We always mean to decide what to order before we get to the bar so we won’t stand at the bar stammering, but we never manage it. Mindy decided on cranberry and vodka; I went with rum and coke. Josiah offered us a food menu, and though we were tempted by the naan and hummus, we ordered The Onion Tower.
While we waited for our onion rings, the men at the other end of the bar started laughing. Josiah was bopping along with the music while he got change, and one of the men said, “That’s why I come here, brother, the personality."
Mindy asked Josiah and Becky, who was serving, how the night was for them. Becky told us that the dinner rush had been much more busy than they'd expected, with pleasant customers.
“They were polite. I like polite people.” She said she hoped a couple of the new people would become regulars. She said they lived nearby and were happy they could walk or Uber home. She was happy because she wouldn’t need to argue with those guests if they stayed late in the evening. “I like people like that.”
I noticed Becky was getting ready to leave, and I asked if she would mind taking a moment to answer our questions about bars and churches. When we asked what makes for a good bar, she asked whether we wanted an answer from the customer or staff prospective.
We said staff.
She answered, “Good customers; nice, fun, cool.” Becky wore a sweatshirt from a bar in Florida where she’d worked for ten years, “It was family.”
As for what makes for a good church, Becky said she wasn’t a church-goer, but when she’d visited Europe a couple years ago, she loved the art and history she’d found in the churches and great cathedrals she visited.
Mindy asked Josiah our questions. He said a good bar had a friendly staff. He doesn’t like it too loud, and “an abundance of regulars makes it fun.” Josiah said he knows the regulars at Groggs by first and last names, and he thinks that’s important.
At church, Josiah said he likes good music, and also that “a church is nothing without a community of regulars.” He said he appreciates “a good church leader who will speak to you and also lead by example.” They talked for awhile about local churches; he's attended several churches in the area over the years, and he and his wife got to know each other partly because he gave her a ride to church.
The woman sitting next to me asked what I was writing in my notebook. I handed her a card and introduced myself and Mindy. She didn’t respond with mention her name, but she began asking questions about our project. I told her about our 2016 trip to visit a church and a bar in every state and she asked about that as well. She asked what the point of it all was.
Eventually, I got around to asking her our usual questions. She said a good bar has good beer and friendly staff. A good church should have a good pastor (by which I think she meant a good preacher).
She asked where I thought she was coming from, but I’ve learned better than to answer a question like that. She said she was a believer, but she didn’t seem happy with the Church in the Valley. The teachings and programs were directed toward young families. “They have programs for college students and young careers, but at 34, I’m not young. If I was a divorcee, they would have more programs directed toward me.” But for a single woman, not so much.
On top of that, she considers herself an introvert, and churches in the area are directed toward extroverts. People were expected to stand and sing loud and during greeting time shake hands and perhaps hug.
I asked if she might prefer going to an Episcopal contemplative service, but she said she’d have problems with that. I asked if it was because of the theology and she said, “That would be the word for it.” It was interesting that she said she doesn’t mind being sociable in a bar, but she prefers to be left to herself in a church.
Though she never gave her name, I asked if she was okay with my posting what she said, and she was fine with that as long as her identity wasn't clear. I was happy to comply, because as I said, I was feeling groggy that evening. But I can say quite clearly we enjoyed our time with the folks at Groggs.
Mindy asked Josiah and Becky, who was serving, how the night was for them. Becky told us that the dinner rush had been much more busy than they'd expected, with pleasant customers.
I noticed Becky was getting ready to leave, and I asked if she would mind taking a moment to answer our questions about bars and churches. When we asked what makes for a good bar, she asked whether we wanted an answer from the customer or staff prospective.
She answered, “Good customers; nice, fun, cool.” Becky wore a sweatshirt from a bar in Florida where she’d worked for ten years, “It was family.”
As for what makes for a good church, Becky said she wasn’t a church-goer, but when she’d visited Europe a couple years ago, she loved the art and history she’d found in the churches and great cathedrals she visited.
At church, Josiah said he likes good music, and also that “a church is nothing without a community of regulars.” He said he appreciates “a good church leader who will speak to you and also lead by example.” They talked for awhile about local churches; he's attended several churches in the area over the years, and he and his wife got to know each other partly because he gave her a ride to church.
Eventually, I got around to asking her our usual questions. She said a good bar has good beer and friendly staff. A good church should have a good pastor (by which I think she meant a good preacher).
On top of that, she considers herself an introvert, and churches in the area are directed toward extroverts. People were expected to stand and sing loud and during greeting time shake hands and perhaps hug.
I asked if she might prefer going to an Episcopal contemplative service, but she said she’d have problems with that. I asked if it was because of the theology and she said, “That would be the word for it.” It was interesting that she said she doesn’t mind being sociable in a bar, but she prefers to be left to herself in a church.
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