I always thought it was a myth, but there is a pub in one of the villages local to me, where everyone does go silent when a stranger walks in! What a bloody boring existance it must be for the landlord, to be serving the same small handful of locals day in day out. I like a pub with a quiet friendly atmosphere (no loud music or huge TV screens), a real fire, good beer, and home cooked food, not out of a microwave.