Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 4.3bsd-beta 6/6/85; site topaz.RUTGERS.EDU Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!genrad!panda!talcott!harvard!seismo!columbia!topaz!Miller.pasa From: Miller.pasa@Xerox.ARPA Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers Subject: Tall tales in Bars Message-ID: <3599@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU> Date: Tue, 10-Sep-85 16:32:33 EDT Article-I.D.: topaz.3599 Posted: Tue Sep 10 16:32:33 1985 Date-Received: Thu, 12-Sep-85 22:59:57 EDT Sender: daemon@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J. Lines: 25 From: Miller.pasa@Xerox.ARPA Sparked mainly by the discussion of tall tales in bars stories earlier this summer, I have spent some recent time reading Callahan's stories, Draco Tavern stories, and others. They have prompted me to ask the following question (and since you all happen to be sitting out there listening so nicely, I thought I'd ask it of YOU!!-- who knows, maybe you've got an answer.) What makes us think that any other species out there would have any interest at all in a bar? Granted, they seem to be fairly universal earth customs, but why would an alien species have a desire to get inebriated? Or even to hold the sort of social concourse that a tavern provides? When you stand back and look at these quaint earth customs (at least when I stand back and look at them,) they seem to be kind of weird. But then, that's one of the problems with being isolated on some backwater planet in the boondocks of the galaxy-- since your species is the only one you've got to compare you to, everything looks weird-- or everything looks normal. Take your pick. So any way, what do you all think? --Chris Miller.pasa@Xerox.ARPA