Tuesday Meander, item 1

1. We walked into "The Corner Brewery" in Ypislanti recently because we were with convivial people we love, and they were treating us to a new experience, and we all like a good tavern. Walking into the joint, you would never suspect the place is operated by maniacs. Its outward appearance is that of a jolly watering hole --spacious, cheerful, and not smokey. There was not a large crowd, but those who were there were young, happy, and well behaved, and there was not a drunken sot anywhere in the purlieu.

But to place an order, either for the beer or the food, a customer has to approach the bar and pass muster. Everyone is carded! Even an old fart like me who hasn't been mistaken for a youth in at least a century and a half. So when, the bartenderess explained that she could sell me two drinks at a time, but first she had to see my I.D. I said, naturally, "You're kidding." On her pretty face was the smile of the super-confident young lady who can account for herself even in a rough crowd. "No, I'm not kidding," says she, "that's the rule." Whose rule, I ask, knowing that my driver's license is right there in my pocket and can be produced in less time than it takes to whack-a-mole. "The Manager's rule," she says. "That's our policy."

"You're nuts," I say, smilingly and without invective. It was merely an observation as valid as commenting for example on the falling rain, or the creepiness of Mitch McConnell. But those two little words had the effect of changing her demeanor.

We spent the rest of the time in the place (a) enjoying ourselves (b) giving beer to a 60-something lady who had no I.D. and couldn't be served, and (c) trying to understand how anyone could get in trouble legally, morally, or even in the abstract, by selling a beer to a sober senior citizen.

Now I'm tempted to go off on the tangent about silly people making silly rules, or expounding on how power corrupts, or noting that with greater position comes a greater tendency to be tyrannical. Instead I'll just say that the rules were easy to foil, the day was a wonderful one, and I thank God to have been blessed with a witty tongue.