January 3rd - Beth

Yesterday was Elizabeth's birthday, and after a tour of Greensboro, we ended up at one of our favorite spots in town. That would be Joymongers, one of the newest breweries to open up in the Gate City (it helps that it's just a few doors down from Elliot's daycare).

We've been there quite a few times now, and the staff has always been friendly and helpful.  But I've never taken the time to really sit down and ask them questions beyond "What do you recommend?" or "Can I get that in a bigger glass?"  Last night, I decided to change that.

There were two bartenders working at Joymongers when we arrived, and I when of them got a free moment, I called them over.

Her name was Beth, and she had been working for Joymongers since July.  I explained my blog and what I was doing for the month of January (a tricky proposition as I don't know if people will be accepting of it or slowly back away from the loon that wants to interview them).  Luckily, she was one of the former.



Beth

Beth had been working at Earth Fare, an organic and healthy grocery store here in Greensboro, as a cheese monger (more that later) when she met the brewmaster and owner of Joymongers.  He had been working on the brewery for two years, and he was finalizing his launch plans for it. He asked her to join him, and she readily agreed (much like she did with the request for this blog!)


What's your favorite joke?

To preface this answer, Beth's husband of six years is a lighting engineer who is heavily involved in the bluegrass and Americana scene (he's worked with Allison Krause, which really impressed Elizabeth and me, and has a Gold record from working with her).  Because of this involvement, Beth's house is full of instruments, including many banjos.  So, with that said...

Beth: I'm terrible at jokes, but I do like this one.  What's the difference between an onion and a banjo? Nobody cries when you chop up a banjo.



What's the meal that reminds you most of home?

Beth: I have a huge family, and most of them cook, it's a huge conglomeration of cooks.  So because of that we have tons of food whenever we get together.  But the one thing that reminds me of home...I'd have to say venison.  My dad is an avid hunter, so we grew up eating fresh venison that he would bring home.  I like to cook as well.

Lars: What's your favorite thing to cook?

Beth: Hmm, my favorite thing to cook...well, it's this braised lamb shank (Beth mimes how big the shank is and it looks bigger than her). It's cooked with a lot of wine, kinda like this macho cave man stew and it's awesome.



Will the world be a better or worse place in 20 years?

Beth: I'll be older...so it'll be worse because I won't be able to drink as much anymore! (As she's a bartender I can see how this is a concern). But I don't think it's going to change all that much to be honest.


If you could bring back one musician, who would it be?

Beth: David Bowie (without hesitation).  Just because I never got to see him live.



So...cheese monger?

At this point, Elizabeth had joined us at the bar and wanted to know what exactly a cheese monger did.

Beth: Ok, for example, the other day I cracked an 80 pound block of parm into pieces that we could sell.  You use special hammers and chisels and awls and scoops to get it crumbled correctly.  It had been aged 24 months and it was amazing.

(That's the dream right there...an 80 pound block of cheese...)



What's the most significant thing that happened this year?

Beth: (Hesitates).  Well, it's gotta be Trump winning, right?  (She laughs and smiles uneasily).

Lars: And how did you feel about that?

Beth: (Laughs). Terrible! Because I'm a woman!

Lars: Hey, I'm a guy and I feel terrible about it too!


This was the first time in one of my interviews that Trump had come up by name, and it was clear to see how alarmed she was about him.  I have my own misgivings, but as a white male, I can only imagine what kind of concerns that Beth would have about him. More to the point, what the next four years under a Trump presidency could mean for women and their rights.  She mentioned his persona and the things he had said, and it's understandable that she associates that event with negativity.

With that said, I'm hopeful that she, and I, are wrong about how bad it could be. I'm hopeful that what we imagine coming down the pike is not as terrible as what actually takes place (the idea of the shark in Jaws is never as scary as when the actual shark shows up...unless you're Quint and then you get eaten by said shark).  I'm hopeful that throughout the next four years, I'll be able to go up and have a beer at Joymongers and the future Beth and I envisioned when the results of the election came in won't be realized.

I wanted to talk more on this, but the bar was getting busy (there's live music on Tuesdays, so if you're in the area go check it out!).  Beth was incredibly easy to talk to and very friendly.  I've always liked the "Sam Malone" kind of bartender, the one where you could have a real conversation with and not just the mundane transactions that you typically have.  I'm glad that I was able to find someone like that up at Joymongers.