Narrating Personal Interest

 

The year is 2006.  The location is Hamburg, Germany.  I’m eleven years old and in the host nation for the biggest sporting event in the world, watching my beloved Socceroos play Italy at their first world cup in 32 years.  Where am I watching it you ask?  The pub. 

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To me that encapsulates everything about a pub.  It’s the place where so many memories are made, so many ideas are formed and so many experiences are had.  It’s a place that breaks social barriers, where people are welcomed to encounter total strangers and spark up a conversation.  In a society that is becoming so technology driven that there seems to be a disconnect between the online world and the real world, a pub still holds those traditional core values that encourage sociability and a willingness to engage with others.

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The whistle goes and the match is underway.  The gorgeous German barmaid strides over in her lauderhausen and puts down drinks for me and my family.  The first sip coincides perfectly with Australia’s start to the match; clean, crisp and prepared to perfection.  There is a buzzing atmosphere around the pub with both Australian and Italian supporters eagerly watching in anticipation, as well as fascinated locals and other travelling supporters. 

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 Half time came, the score was 0-0. Now it was time for some grub.  In typically efficient German style, our orders had been placed 15 minutes earlier meaning that it would arrive promptly at the break between halves.  At this time in the family holiday I had been partaking in a Schnitzel eating challenge, attempting to find the best Schnitzel in all of Deaushland.  But this time I had met my match.

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The food came out all at once, German pork knuckle, wurst sausages, sauerkraut, brezel and finally my pizza sized schnitzel.  The crisp breadcrumbed outer provided a scrumptious crunch that complemented the delicious tender meat it withheld.  Served with a more then generous offering of home-made Pommes frites (chips) and accompanied by the ever refreshing non-alcoholic malt beer, this was becoming a serious pub meal.  Combine that with the excitement and general vibe of the pub-goers and the fact I was sat on holiday with my family watching an event I had such great passion for, it would have to rate as one of the best pub meals I’ve ever head.

 

Introducing the topic

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From WA’s regional colonial hotels offering locals a hearty club sandwich to the chic modern European gourmet pub food with extensive handcrafted beers and live music (westernaustralia.com, 2015), the Perth Pub scene has an abundance of vibrant and diverse options.

Perth’s Perfect Pub Feed It is the only blog that seeks the best pub feed in Perth and is therefore especially unique, a trait often associated with successful blogs (Maarten Roelofs, 2014).  To find this perfect feed, a score is assigned to each pub according to a rating criteria, combining all aspects of a perfect meal (BlogTo, 2016) based on 8 factors* being:

• Vibe

• Brews

• Serving Size

• Taste

• Bang For Your Buck

• CG’s X-Factor

Essentially through vastly deep and detailed field work, I shall selflessly acquire the information necessary to deliver viewers the most complete pub meal in Perth.

Furthermore, the notion of a pub feed goes much beyond just the meal itself.  Therefore, it's important to establish what exactly defines a "perfect pub feed" as this can be very subjective to personal taste. In this case a combination of taste, delivery, atmosphere and value are of most importance in attaining a high rating.

The best way I can explain the rating system is through two exemplars.  Exemplar one is a small pub in a less renowned area, styled simply inside and produces a sizable double bacon cheeseburger with chips and a wink accompanied by a pint of Carlton in an electric atmosphere for $14:95.  Exemplar two is a large pub in a well renowned area, style professionally by an interior decorated and produces a beautifully presented marinated scotch fillet steak sandwich, slight in portion, served with a pint and a small handful of chips in a quiet, eerie venue for $35. 

 

The Result?
Exemplar 1 = 8/10
Exemplar 2 = 6/10

This said, I'm not solely looking for the biggest, cheapest, greasiest meal. This is a pub meal, not a fast food meal. A moderately priced, quality homemade patty on a fresh bun with plump ingredients easily outscores a cheap, monstrously sized and processed "choleste-roll" (a burger containing so much saturated fat and calories, it immediately skyrockets your cholesterol to an unhealthy level.)  It’s all about finding a balance between taste and value for money.  Blogs become successful when they facilitate information among other sites (Wolf, 2013) and ultimately, Perth’s Perfect Pub Feed aims to do that by serving as a medium for viewers to comment, share and view content in a manner that intrigue’s or brings pleasure.

 

*For a more detailed explanation of each factor please visit the ratings page.