Don't Be A Dick.

The Irish Rover took to Facebook on Friday evening to shine a light on the 800-gorilla in the room.

Speaking personally, this sentence stands out: "We hate having to be the mask police."

No kidding. If local and state government possessed an iota of cojones, and they don't, then we'd have a bit of help via enforced mandates, and not have to take time from our own work to apply the government's toothless edicts for it.

But that's the reality of two-party political cowardice.

The Rover's testimony is first, and then a link to a very useful article titled, "Why the libertarians are foolish about face masks."

Business was pretty good today despite the weather, and we saw a lot of regulars, including some we hadn’t seen since the shutdown....a great day, right?

No. Today sucked.

Numerous guests ignored posted mask policy (including seating themselves without masks and creating a scene when asked to leave), and many refused to comply with polite requests to wear the masks when staff approached to serve them.

This isn’t about people who forget to put the masks on...we truly appreciate all of you who are trying to learn the new normal!

We’re talking about people who are openly defiant. Who stuff the mask into a pocket or zip it into a purse. Who laugh and say they’ll “try.”

We hate having to be the mask police. It’s exhausting (and costly...one table walked out cursing at us, and without paying for their drinks). But we are trying to protect the health of our staff and guests.

What’s really upsetting, though, is the complete lack of concern for the health of the people trying to serve you. It’s demoralizing and dehumanizing, and it’s really hurts.

We love the restaurant business, but this is soul crushing. And it has us wondering why we are working so hard to keep going.

There is an incident recounted on local social media that may or may not be true, but it perfectly captures the attitude we encountered so many times today:

A woman enters an empty coffee shop, and, when asked by the barista to put on a mask, she replies:

“Why? There’s no one here”

The article's from the Financial Times, and you may not be able to read it without registering. In the event, allow my sole excerpt to tell the tale.

Why the libertarians are foolish about face masks, by Henry Mance (FT)

Wearing coverings is finally mandatory in England in shops as well as on public transport

Wearing a mask is an act of trust. It does not protect you — it protects others, and their masks protect you. The effect is likely to be small, but it is a sign of shared endeavour, an essential part of getting through this crisis. Just as no one is an atheist in a foxhole, no one is a libertarian in a pandemic.

An unsolicited testimonial for the Irish Rover.

I've always been a fan of the Irish Rover on Frankfort Avenue in Louisville, which has been in business for 26 years.

The Reidys have busted their humps throughout, but the aspect of their business experience that speaks to me is success in executing an existing idea -- the Irish pub, as opposed to the German beer hall or Belgian beer cafe -- by establishing a constant core of daily undertow, while allowing for creativity and evolution around the edges.

Conceptually, the Irish pub is not a kaleidoscope. It does not spin and whirl. It resists fads. It has a timeless foundation of certain beers, spirits, meals and design. The core is unvarying, and moving away from the core, more about it remains the same than changes, but of course change is allowed ... in context, so long as new trifles don't compromise the fundamental appeal. 

There is a reason why Irish pubs can be fond all over the planet. Part of it has to do with the power of the Irish historical narrative and the nation's diaspora, although I'd submit that a greater quotient of the world's fondness for Irish pubs pertains to their uncanny ability to be a chain-like templates of cozy predictability while at the very same time retaining uniqueness from one to the next.

You always know what to expect, and yet every pub is different.

This is a supreme balancing act, and it is not to be undervalued. The Irish Rover has excelled at doing so for quarter-century, and I deeply appreciate it. The tail does not wag the dog. The essence is what matters, with complementary sprinklings of newbie to keep things fresh.

It's about keeping focus, filtering the bedlam, and most importantly, having the confidence to stay the course. The latter might be most difficult of all, as something about the American "free" market always has sanctioned the ephemeral over the bedrock. Maybe we really are this flighty and unmoored, but I persist in thinking there are commonalities capable of uniting us.

To repeat, I love the Irish Rover, even if I don't make it there often enough. It's a pub that is what it is, and doesn't try to be what it isn't, while still managing to have a bit of something for everyone.

Or, to me, a model.

On meanings of Boxing Day, which is tomorrow (December 26, 2013).

At the Rover, 2011

First and foremost, Boxing Day is a longstanding Louisville tradition for the day following Christmas Day, and the Irish Rover always does it right. In the old country, Boxing Day these days might signify shopping and sports.

online-on-Christmas-Day.html">Millions of Brits to start shopping online on Christmas Day

EPL Week 18 Predictions: Picking Boxing Day's Most Thrilling Matches

Here's an impartial explanation for Boxing Day. Maybe next year, we'll get around to a Boxing Day brewhouse brunch at BSB. Until then, there's the Rover, and I hope we're able to make it this year.

What is Boxing Day? Why is it Called Boxing Day, by Elaine Lemm (britishfood.about.com)

What is Boxing Day?

How many times am I asked - What is Boxing Day? Or, Why is it called Boxing Day?

Here in Britain and Ireland we are greedy, it’s not enough for us to have Christmas Day celebrations we have added on another day called Boxing Day. Boxing Day is a national holiday and another day to spend with family and friends and eating up the leftovers but its origins are steeped in history and tradition.

As a coda of sorts, consider these photos from Boxing Day at the Irish Rover, 2008, as previously posted at Potable Curmudgeon.

Excellent breakfast, including black pudding ... and Guinness.

There was music and a festive ambience on the day after Christmas.

Jon illustrates a story as the pints look on.

Tim, Jeff and Graham.

Jeff and the introductory smoked salmon.

Only one of those pints belongs to Graham.

On meanings of Boxing Day, which is tomorrow (December 26).

At the Rover, 2011

First and foremost, Boxing Day is a longstanding Louisville tradition for the day following Christmas Day, and the Irish Rover always does it right. In the old country, Boxing Day these days might signify shopping and sports.

Boxing Day sales expected to draw millions of Britons despite recession (Guardian)

Boxing Day: Busy Premier League and Football League schedule (BBC)

Here's an impartial explanation for Boxing Day. Maybe next year, we'll get around to a Boxing Day brewhouse brunch at BSB. Until then, there's the Rover, and I hope we're able to make it this year.

What is Boxing Day? Why is it Called Boxing Day, by Elaine Lemm (britishfood.about.com)

What is Boxing Day?

How many times am I asked - What is Boxing Day? Or, Why is it called Boxing Day?

Here in Britain and Ireland we are greedy, it’s not enough for us to have Christmas Day celebrations we have added on another day called Boxing Day. Boxing Day is a national holiday and another day to spend with family and friends and eating up the leftovers but its origins are steeped in history and tradition.

As a coda of sorts, consider these photos from Boxing Day at the Irish Rover, 2008, as previously posted at Potable Curmudgeon.

Excellent breakfast, including black pudding ... and Guinness.

There was music and a festive ambience on the day after Christmas.

Jon illustrates a story as the pints look on.

Tim, Jeff and Graham.

Jeff and the introductory smoked salmon.

Only one of those pints belongs to Graham.