At last, the day of independence is almost upon us.The moment where we all emerge out of our 100-day hibernation,blinking into the sunlight like the animals dismountingNoah's Ark. And the sight that greets uswill be similar yet oh sodifferent to the world we left behind.
You may have no time for such hyperbole, but with all the guidelines in place there are certain aspects of'Super Saturday' that will be as confusing as Rishi Sunak looking for a pub in a home appliances shop. For while pubs, museums and hairdressers (to name a few) are set to open, these are under strict conditions that will make the experience of them very different. For instance, roller coasters are allowed, but screaming is banned. Pubs are open for business, but queues at the bar are not. The list, as you can read here, goes on.
Indeed in a nation already divided between 'corona-phobics' and courageous new-normal-ers, uncertainties can be expected. Some, like Nigella, may be keen to adhere to the 5:2 social diet of limiting interaction with friends, while others are racing to become the first on the school mumWhatsapp group to invite everyone over for socially-distanced pre-pub drinks.
But what Super Saturday has shown is that there will be a little benefit for everyone no matter what your preference.Heres all the things that were secretly looking forward to when the day arrives...
Lets be honest, it was always a little bit awkward. The procedure generally involvedfumbling around for cash (which none of us ever carried anyway), while our hairdresser pretended to look elsewhere. And then there was the etiquette: what constituted too little ('stingy, or displeased with the service') or too much ('too generous, could have bought a coffee with that later')?
Well Hallelujah, that looks set to change.While hairdressers are allowed to officially reopen on the 4th July, thats provided Covid-secure measures are in place including the use of cashless payment systems. According to a recent survey commissioned by Asktraders.com, two in three consumers would avoid tipping if they couldnt use cash. We're all in this together, right?
Linked to the above. While discussingour matted hair served as valuable small talk material through lockdown, let's be honest: it all got a bit repetitive. We know everythingabout next-door Sallys flyaway greys and are more familiar with Sarahs pesky roots than we are with our own. The social opportunities offered onSuper Saturday will provide us with an ample opportunity to generate new forms of small talk, and were absolutely fine with that.
By now, were no stranger to a spot of queuing. In fact, the pandemic has made us so accustomed to waiting in a spaced out single-file line that we will do virtually anything not to stand in one again which might be an incentive in itselfto visit a pub this Saturday. Under the new guidelines, leaning against the bar and awaitingyour order is out, and table service is in.
This means the end of all that tricky pub etiquette weve spent years grappling with. To push or not to push? To risk losing your place by giving way to someone carrying a tray of teetering tequilas; or to let them struggle and slide into place once they've departed?Now, the only thing you have to worry about is appearing sober after your thirdmojito. Easy, really.
Continue reading here:
Six small things we're looking forward to on Super Saturday - Telegraph.co.uk
