Where everybody knows your name

Isn’t it great when you really get to know your neighborhood? You’ve been to all the little shops and restaurants, you have your favorite houses and blocks, and maybe you’ve built up a rapport with some of the local merchants. Really makes you feel at home, right?

Well it turns out there are certain times when it’s not so great to be recognized.

You may have surmised from some of my past posts that I can be a fan of the spirits. I like a good beer every now and again. So naturally from time to time I patronize Logan Circle’s fine selection of liquor stores. I emphasize “from time to time” because honestly, I don’t buy booze from the store very often. Probably once every couple of weeks, tops.

Naturally, then, I’ve found it a little surprising that one of the clerks at (bronze medal-winning!) Barrel House Liquor has started to recognize me whenever I go in there.

Now, it would be one thing if I was consulting with him about the latest craft ale or single malt they have, with him giving me inside info and recommendations. But as it stands, our interactions consist of him giving me a look of recognition when I go to pay and chuckling as he says there’s no need to card me.

This kind of thing can make a guy feel like a drunk.

I won’t say the label is entirely unfitting, but seriously, I’m really not in there much at all! It was like, a month between my previous two visits and it didn’t phase him a bit. He just waived me off with aplomb as I tried to take out my driver’s license.

So Mr. Barrel House clerk, while I really do appreciate you making me feel like a regular in my neighborhood, maybe next time you could just pretend like it’s been a while since you’ve seen me. A look of surprise would do wonders for my psyche.

Photo from M.V. Jantzen on Flickr.