I got to thinking about my long-deceased father while sitting in the bar, assuaging my thirst for alcoholic beverages. Some of my earliest memories are of him taking me along when he visited the local beer joints. I guess they weren’t enforcing the “no minors” rules back then. I’d sit at a table sipping a Coke, and he’d be at the bar with a beer engaging the bartender and other customers with his wit and witticisms. Much like I do with the bargirls now. Speaking of which, after my father passed, I was going through some boxes of photographs, and I came across one of him in middle age on Texas Street in Busan, surrounded by thirsty bargirls. He was a merchant seaman, and Busan was just another port of call along the way. I wish I could ask him about his trips to the Philippines. Maybe I have brothers and sisters here. Oh shit. I just had a scary thought. Never mind, I don’t want to know.
Anyhoo, the bar culture is something that has become ingrained in me over the years. I don’t see a problem with that, provided you maintain some self-control and not be a drunken asshole. At least in the bars I frequent, everyone seems to get along, and we all enjoy a pleasant atmosphere. I didn’t really become a barfly until I moved to Korea and started living the Itaewon lifestyle. Met some good people back in those days, and I have no regrets then or now. It’s not the life for everyone, but it seems to work for me. Besides, what else am I going to do? I rarely even turn on my TV these days.
My journey to Cheap Charlies was much more pleasant last evening.
I had an amazing conversation with one of the new hires at Cheap Charlies, a waitress named Narissa. Chat with most bargirls is pretty much what you might expect: surface-level mundane banter on trivial subjects, with occasional jokes or sexual innuendo tossed in. Not so with Narissa. She surprised me by asking questions about American politics and politicians (is Trump really a jerk?), famous people she likes (Bon Jovi), and whether I’ve met them (who was the most interesting celebrity you’ve met?) and specific places (Have you been to Universal City in Florida?). I did ask if she likes hiking and she told me she prefers museums and zoos with rare animals. Anyway, it was refreshing to have a “real” conversation in the bar.
But I wasn’t quite finished yet. I needed to use an SOB “buy one, get one” coupon, so I made Whiskey Girl my next stop.
I went home shortly thereafter with a smile on my face. My Fitbit says I was asleep at 8:30.
And I woke up at 4:30 a.m. to start another day.
And the morning view from my back patio:
Life is good, or at least good enough.
Muffins look good!
Narissa’s got a strange, hooded look that strikes me as a bit sinister, but that’s just me and my paranoid imagination. Good luck with her.
I met my buddy Tom on Monday for an early dinner. He has a Filipina wife, and the family travels to the Philippines whenever Tom has a chance to go. Tom’s a committed husband, happily married, but we talked about the whole “swinging life in the bars” thing. I can’t relate to it, but Tom’s view is that a lot of expat guys think they’re going to “rescue” the bargirls when what all the girls really want is money. The girls are so conditioned to think that way that they’re basically unsalvageable. Tom’s conclusion was the same as mine: if you want a worthwhile girl, you have to look outside the bars.
It’s like the one… thing… you… refuse… to do. Heh.
Well, I’m just searching for the exception to the rule! Actually, I think Tom is right about the girls in the prostitution bars, but I rarely frequent those.
Nerissa’s looks aren’t that attractive to me either, but her brain has me intrigued. I hope to get to know her better, but I’m keeping my expectations in check. She’s new to the bar scene (or at least, so she says), so she may not be jaded yet. I honestly don’t see the women who choose the bars as being in need of rescue. Most of the ones I’ve met are there because it is their best option. Sure, they dream of meeting a “rich” man and living happily ever after, but I doubt many expect that will ever happen.
Kev
This fella is beyond rescue.
you tell him a good story about bargirls, and he still feels the need to make a distinction between pro bars 🍸 and …other bars in Barretto.
let the man have his hopes and dreams ✨️
old dog and new tricks .
I like that you quiz each girl you show interest in by asking if she’s interested in your interests ; hiking and drinking.
Ask her about her interests if you get a chance. Maybe you may even consider joining her while she engages in her interests.
You kids have fun
Narissa’s got a dentally goofy, humor tinted smile that I find slightly alluring. She also has a past and, as always with pics of your barfly desiderata, she reminds that life is harder and simply and radically different if you are a woman. Nirvana is supposedly the complete cessation of suffering. Just putting it out there…
You are right, life is hard and usually harder if you are a woman. As I recall, they even amended the Constitution to provide for women’s suffrage. (sorry, couldn’t resist!)
If we are on the road in search of Nirvana, I’m the guy handing out drinks to thirsty female travelers.
Hello, James. Nice to see you back!
Your comment implies that I need to be rescued, but I’m living a life I’ve chosen, and I’m making the most of it while I can. Not always ideal, but I’m doing okay.
I’d definitely join Narissa on a museum visit or a trip to the zoo. And it is not a deal breaker for me if she doesn’t care to go hiking with me; to each his own and all that.