Do we really have more bars than churches in Jamaica? We do not know, but this week we set out to discover why these places are so well loved by their male patrons.

Kelly, a 25-year-old resident of St. Andrew, states that he loves bars for the "the absence of giggling women and the freedom to speak guy stuff".According to him, "When you encounter it (giggling) all day, you just look forward to that (its absence) and to drink two beers."

Guy stuff he states relates to "women, cars, football ... whatever".

He is not fond of the bars, he states, just because of the barmaids, because he is yet to see a really attractive one.

What he loves, however, is the music.

"They (the bars) tend to play decent stuff. Most of the places I go, older people hang out there and they listen to older type stuff which I really prefer."

Greg , a 32-year-old driver from St. Catherine, says he goes to the bar every day to "meet with my associates and friends who I have known for years and years. I also go there to have my favourite drink."

The bar in Jamaica is the place where men congregate in the latter half of the day to socialise with their own kind. Some bars also offer skittles, pool, dominoes and cards games which men find to be an excellent means of passing the time.

While the music plays, and the night passes, they try out the slot and gaming machines.

When a man has had a run of luck, his first act might be to invite his friends for several rounds at their local waterhole where he uses some of his winning to "buy out the bar".

The bar is not a place that many women will find a comfortable hang-out. One woman told Outlook that she would never go to a bar on her own as she feels that she would receive unwanted advances from men who, had she not been there, would have spent the time, instead, discussing the world and his wife.

She said she also disliked the pornographic movies shown on video or DVD by some bars.

One researcher claims that Jamaican bars serve the important function of releasing new music each week.

Patrons do enjoy their music but, more important, seem to be enjoying hard liquor in the company of 'old-timers' or people who they appreciate seeing at the end of a long-working day.

When men travel together, they plan into their itinerary stops at their favourite bars along the way, where the bartender greets each of them like an old-timer and a good friend.

- Outlook Team