great schnitzels. A gorgeous wood-burning stove, perhaps
100
years old, keeps the front entrance warm. The wood
panelled walls, high ceilings, traditional bentwood chairs
and ubiquitous foam-capped glasses of golden lager all look
as if they could have come from Švejk’s time. The only big
difference is that no one is getting beaten up.
Do artists and writers still come to U Bansethů, I ask,
and Bašta rattles off a list of names, including modern Czech
novelists Michal Viewegh and Arnošt Lustig, who used to
come in for small beers.
So why do Prague’s creatives spend so much time in bars
and cafés? “For good meals and good beer, but primarily for
the warmth,” says the congenial owner with a chuckle. “And,
of course, to acquire inspiration for their prose, like Czech
writer Bohumil Hrabal and [the bar] U Zlatého Tygra.”
That gives me my next stop — and a challenging one at
that. Prague’s most famous tavern, U Zlatého Tygra (‘At
the Golden Tiger’), has long been known for two things:
as the long-term haunt of novelist Bohumil Hrabal and for
its popularity among locals. Despite an address in tourist-
friendly Old Town, 90% of its clientele are said to be regulars
and the place is constantly packed. But if I hurry, I can make
it just as the doors open at 3pm, giving me a better shot at
getting a seat.
As well as scoring a chair and a pint, I also have a chance
to try the local speciality, a mix of onions, paprika, cheese
and a dash of lager known as beer cheese, which the bar
claims to have invented. As I eat and drink in the dimly lit
room, I take in the conversations from the locals around me,
who are gossiping about their relationships and friends.
You can see why a writer like Hrabal would love to eavesdrop
here, taking inspiration from the atmosphere as much as
the conversation. The aroma from the cheese is powerful, as
are the commingling smells of cigarettes and wood, but the
primary odour is fromwhat the locals call
pivo
(
beer).
“
I was perfumed in beer and the doctor leaned over
me,” he wrote, using his wife’s point of view in his
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