alcohol
For our next stop in Alcohol around the World, we visit another Islamic country, Algeria. Unlike Afghanistan, there was and is slightly more elbow room when abiding to Islam’s dietary laws; alcohol is not totally banned.
Algerian wine accounted for nearly two thirds of the wine that was internationally traded, though this was during the 1950’s. Algerian wine has a deeper red color compared to French wine and is higher in alcohol as well.
Nowadays, like Afghanistan, there is a shortage of alcohol consumption. Many of the vineyards in the Hauts Plateaux region which produced the bountiful grape were turned to produce agricultural crops (e.g., cereal or table grapes), this was greatly encouraged by government officials seeing their Islamic country being economically dependent on an alcoholic product. There are about 70 wineries in operation today.
Continue through Read Button and watch guys open wine the “Algerian Way.” Plus a tidbit of info on contraband alcohol.
Imagine you're just casually walking down a pretty remote beach in Germany and you stumble on a pile of clothes. You'll probably begin to wonder where the owner of this mound is. Well it seems that a few tourists walking on that very remote beach in Furstenfeldbruck, Germany called emergency after discovering the abandoned clothing.
The search went on all for three hours, which included helicopter and 25 rescue workers.
Apparently the owner of the clothing was hiding from the search; she was naked. Though to Karen Drechsler's defense she didn't know the search was for her. She was only hiding from shame. She had been at another part of the beach before the search.
"She saw all the police, the coastguard and the helicopter and she thought someone must be in trouble. She didn't imagine they were looking for her," a rescue worker told The Sun.
"She wanted to wait until they'd all gone before she retrieved her clothes. But the longer she waited, the more police arrived."
Source: New AU
For our next stop in Alcohol Around the World we visit a largely arid land, the Islamic Republic: Afghanistan. We are sure you haven’t heard of many alcoholic drinks hailing from this landlocked nation, well, that’s because it’s a dry country. Alcohol is banned. Mostly because of the country’s Islamic beliefs: alcohol impairs the judgment, leaving one to fail on his obligations, negatively affecting one’s relationship with God.
The reason why Muslims abstain from liquor stems all the way back even before Islam came to fruition. Many Arabs would drink to forget about their problems, alleviate stress, much the same as today. Alcohol was even sold around the clock, 24 hours a day, (at non-stop delis with endless amounts of forties). Unfortunately, good things come to an end; the people didn’t know how to hold their liquor. Alcohol led to tribal warfare, rampant prostitution, broken homes and many absentees from the local mosque. This candy store had to close. This in turn led the Koran to forbid alcohol.
I know, I know, its very disconcerting, but don’t fret there little alcoholic traveler. There a few black sheep that partake in wine sipping and Scotch swigging, just behind very, very, very much closed doors. To be caught drinking would mean jail time and branded with the whole scarlet letter thing, shunned by your community. In fact, just past month Afghanistan’s parliament passed a bill concerning alcohol consumption, which for those who buy, sell, or consume will be fined, imprisoned, or given 60 lashes with a whip (ouch), all in accordance with Sharia law.
To all those in Afghanistan we toast to you. Godspeed.
See video break of probably the only people that are drinking in Afghanistan out and about. Go U.S.!
Part I of a series of documenting travel joy: indigenous liquor.
Our first stop is Albania. A region known as Arberia during the Ottoman days, which helped boost Christian morale as they resisted the Turks onslaught (as they took over country after country). Sadly because of their persistence in not falling back they suffered continuous warfare. But this is why we toast them and their local home brew liquid delicacies.
Albania
Albanian Moonshine (Raki) an alcoholic beverage sipped artfully by macho men, it is a non-sweet, anise-flavored spirit made from fermented grapes or plums. Same alcohol content to Vodka. And we weren’t kidding about sipping it artfully; it takes a crafted hand to produce Raki—the slightest mistake can turn a potentially perfect batch into a “soft Raki” which is not even worth a rinse and spit—this laborious task deserves respect and an artful approach when sipping this drink.
Not really sure if these boys in the video care much about artful sipping but lesson number 1 in cultural etiquette, always accept a drink from the natives even if it is early in the wee mornings.
Video at travel break.
Love, Scabs and Alcohol: the traveling trio.
For all, travel is the abandonment of one’s country, structure and policy – it’s an uninhibited sojourn to say the least. The sights,
the language, the people are all new things, obviously. The moment you stepped on foreign soil you are greeted with an unfamiliarity but don't fret this is a good thing. This dissolution from home-country only allows you complete and utterly disgusting amounts of free will, debauchery and a new slate to mark your sins down…(well of course foreign laws need to be abided but your normal public interface with the opposite sex will be flipped upside down and ready to be re-invented).
I will tell you several ways on obtaining and leaving a lover and your newfound alcoholism without so many bruises.
