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January 26, 2006
Vishy's Indian English Dictionary: permit room
permit room. /puhr·MIT·room/. An enclosed area in a restaurant where alcoholic beverages may be served legally. Other than in cities with a thriving pub culture, places serving alcohol in India are usually attached to a restaurant or other establishment whose primary purpose is not to serve alcoholic beverages. However, alcohol's status as a controlled substance dictates that it not be served everywhere in the restaurant. Moreover, alcohol is not a native part of Indian cuisine and is generally thought to be consumed only by intemperate youngsters who then proceed to engage in ungainly activities like eveteasing. Therefore, in addition to legal reasons, serving alcohol everywhere in a restaurant would put off families who would like to dine there. By restricting alcohol to a certain controlled area, a restaurant can attract business from both the intemperate youngster and family segments.
Posted by Vishy at January 26, 2006 08:15 PM