There are many reasons to admire America, and also a few reasons to disapprove. On the plus side there is free speech, the right to protect oneself, a relatively dynamic economy and 198 versions of beef jerky. On the downside, an inconsistent attitude to turning right at lights, too much fructose and the possibility of a civil war on the way.

However, on a recent long trip up the American West Coast, from palm to pine, I came away realizing that America has one great advantage over Europeans: a serious understanding of the concept of eating at bars in restaurants. By which I don’t mean nibbling nuts and necking a cocktail while waiting for a table. I mean actual eating, of a proper meal, while seated on a barstool.

On one night in Portland, I found myself sitting between a retired tech CEO and a jazz trumpeter

On one night in Portland, I found myself sitting between a retired tech CEO and a jazz trumpeter

In America, almost every restaurant will have a bar for diners. By contrast, Europeans – who invented the restaurant – have not yet grasped the advantages of this arrangement. We treat eating at the bar as something awkward – a last resort, or a social emergency: “Errr, we’re really full, I suppose you could eat at the bar?”

There are, however, a few curious exceptions to this. The first is seafood restaurants. For some inexplicable reason, although we eschew bar-eating elsewhere, we accept it in places mainly serving crustacea. We pull up a stool, order half a........

© The Spectator