Last night I did something that is quite out of my comfort zone: I attended an event where I knew no one. Social events bring out my panicky side at the best of times so to attend one where I didn’t have a safety blanket of a friendly face was a little scary. To increase my anxiety further I didn’t know what to expect, nor how much it would cost (I can’t make my many coping strategy contingency plans if I don’t know every minute detail about something).
Even though the idea of it was scary for me, I needed to do it. Mostly to show that I can step outside of my comfort zone and the world will not end.
Anyway, the event I went to was for the Ladies Beer Coven. A group that had started up not too long ago in an attempt to get more ladies into beer in all its many forms. Due to using public transport I got there super early. Not ideal as usually I’d be left to sit there like a lemon. Luckily the lady who was organising – Cheryl – was already there and I got to chat to her about the event which helped to put most of my fears aside, the only other fear was not having the courage to speak to anyone. That fear was also quickly squished as the ladies close to me – Rachel, Petra and Emma – were chatty and very friendly.
I got to try 5 different beers, and though not all to my taste, that didn’t mean they were undrinkable. Usually the beers I try are so bitter I can’t have more than a few sips. It was nice to be able to listen to the descriptions that Cheryl was reading out and be able to identify the different aspects in the beers too. I didn’t feel like a complete fraud with a useless pallet that a wine tasting can make me feel.
The pub we were at – Fat Cat Brewery Tap – was lovely. So quirky and comfortable. They were also doing a soft launch for their “motherchip” offerings, so we all got free chips! They had some wonderful toppings for the chips and some of the more complex ones had fun names like Cattlestar Galactica (salt beef, dill pickles and mustard mayonnaise), and Pork and Mindy (pulled pork, chipotle mayonnaise and cajun coleslaw). I picked out the Cattlestar at first but they had run out so I chose Pork and Mindy. I was a bit disappointed at first because pulled pork is such a default on pub menus nowadays and usually quite bland, but man was I wrong! It was so very tasty and I’d happily order that again.
So, all in all a very successful outing and I’m looking forward to the next one!