Hairy Lemon

"EVER BEEN PICKED UP BY A HAIRY LEMON?"
screams the heading of the small piece of advertising I picked up in the chemist today.

The rest of the leaflet reads, in part:

Hairy Lemon is an effervescent, pleasant tasting vitamin/herbal formula that provides the body with energy as well as helping to provide mental alertness.

Hairy Lemon is an ideal formula for those who feel tired from a busy lifestyle or have trouble concentrating. Hairy Lemon can also be used in place of any vitamin B formula to help relieve tension and stress. Its strong recovery action is also helpful for those recovering from a late night out. Hairy Lemon makes for a refreshing tonic in a cold glass of water to help you get through the day.

Hairy Lemon contains:

• B Complex Forte (with vitamin H)
• Vitamin C
• Guarana 
• Ginseng

And it has a really effective marketing strategy, as long as no one yells "discrimination."

The Hairy Lemon is the name of a popular pub in central Dublin, Ireland.

It's a very large pub that occupies three buildings and is full of useless old crap like broken bicycles, old pumps, roadsigns etc. in an effort, I presume, to appeal to tourists. Parts of the film "The Commitments" were also shot here, adding to the appeal.

It is frequented by a fairly mixed crowd of all ages, although at the weekends it's more of a 30+ vibe if you're in for the night. It's not the type of place you would go on the pull in either. They've recently opened a new restaurant section and I hear the food is very good. They also serve a lovely pint.

The best thing about this pub is the little booth at the front that can fit no more that three people, with a huge window that faces out on to lower Stephen St.

You can sit there all day, watching the world go by.