The Porter House is an Irish Pub in Mainz which has Trivia Nights, plays Football games, and has an international vibe. I moved to Mainz in October 2011 as an Ausländer and found Porter House to be a nice establishment to frequent. It was easy there to make conversation with others but also feel a bit at home with the underlying native-English atmosphere. This evening, I met the owner of the pub, Ray. I ordered drinks in German, the bartender answered me in English, clearly having heard my accent, but I answered back in German since I live in Germany and only have this one year to learn as much of the language as possible while living in a country where German is the mother-tongue. What I appreciate about Germany in general is the willingness and ability of the population to converse with non-native speakers in German, but also the patience to let us try our best to speak the language. My friend and I chatted with Ray, he told us about his wife, 2 year old, and 17 years of life in Germany, and we enjoyed a drink on the house, which was generous. The conversation naturally drifted to the topic of German as a non-native language and why my friend and I are able to speak the language. I explained that when I moved here in August, I was lucky enough to take a language course and then mentioned that I prefer when I am afforded the opportunity to use the language accordingly. Clearly Ray was under the influence of a night of drinking, and I think my comments were perceived in the wrong manner by the owner. However, this shouldn't matter in the first place, as I was not complaining, but instead expressing to another native English speaker my preferences about getting the chance to improve my language skills in a setting where I should not ever feel judged for trying.
I am so very disappointed to write a negative review for the Porter House. It has been, unti this point, somewhat of a place of refuge. A place where I could go to meet with friends and to meet new friends, and a place that served to bridge the gap between the cultural differences that I must adjust to during my life here in Germany. I am saddened that Ray reflected so personally upon our casual conversation, and his reaction, while not detailed here, was strong enough to truly hurt my feelings and to keep me from patronizing an otherwise nice establishment in the future.
I have never had a problem with the bartenders, but after having met an owner who behaved so irrationally and unprofessionally, I am just still in absolute shock at what I experienced this evening. read more