Man finds himself with too much time on his hands after his wife travels to Europe with her best friend. Contrary to common conceptions about what men get up to when the Mrs leaves town, our Beers and Skittles columnist was forced into a bachelor weekend and well…he used his time wisely.
It’s the start of an article you would expect to find in the Betoota Advocate, but it’s a situation I’m in heading into Canberra’s winter. Amongst the last words, my wife said to me before boarding a plane to Doha en route to Paris were “live your best bachelor life”.
Later that afternoon she would be 10 hours away, and I had six weeks of my life and social calendar to plan. One of few ‘joys’ of your partner going away is that you get an opportunity to do things that you genuinely like doing, that they might not necessarily enjoy. It could be something as simple as heading down to your local, sinking a few schooners and watching the footy.
While you won’t admit it, any self-respecting man in Canberra will be trying to earn ‘brownie points’ this week (don’t tell me you’re not I can hear your Dyson cordless vacuum from here), before spending part of the weekend sinking a few at the local or out in Civic with the boys.
But if you find yourself in a situation like me, you might want to delve outside your local. One of the best things about Canberra is that while we have an array of award-winning food and craft beers, finding a spot at these restaurants and bars is often unsophisticated, which for someone like me (a creature of habit) is a good thing!
If you don’t believe me take my recent weekend as an example:
Thursday Night – Schnitzel and a beer at my local Casey Jones after football training.
Friday Night – Burgers, ribs and beers at Young and Frisky, before a few $5 spirits between 9pm-close.
Saturday Night – Drinks at Shorty’s before joining friends at Akiba for a 9 pm dinner of ‘New Asian’.
Sunday Morning – Brunch at Fox & Bow.
Let’s be honest that type of food weekend isn’t going to happen very often, but it gives you an idea of the variety in Canberra and what’s available. It’s a culinary scene; I look forward to sinking my teeth into for the average Canberra bloke every fortnight.
In closing I’d like to ask:
What’s your local and what do you love about it?
For me, I love Casey Jones, it’s unique menu and selection of craft and standard beers. Rugby League is on every weekend on the TVs, but unlike your local football club, it doesn’t dominate the atmosphere of the room. As a gastro pub it’s the perfect place to sink a couple with the boys or enjoy a meal with your partner or significant other.
