I love the fact that what-happened-last-night drunken antics, without fail, occupy every tip of tongue as the uni student common area conversations climb to their climax. It was as though the phrase "I was so drunk last night I…" is what sesame-opened our synapses, got us clasping our seats as we perch forward, in awe or silent contemplation in contributing. Suppose I can say the same of drugs, a denial of which is a denial of reality.
But then, the intoxication leaves you with a haggered memory.
I often find myself in such situations thinking, blimey, that's it? I wasn't there to be impressed by brawls, or great escapades from bars without paying. I may shed an 'aww' here and there to the odd romantic, but I meant none of sympathy's sort but sarcasm. No – my peers would happily agree with me – all I want for that hungover Sunday morning is a good, hearty laugh. And in fairness, amongst the narcotics I've taken, kava brings out the best chuckles.
Its taste may not gain a lot of favours, but even those who've rebuked its mucky-water appearance and earthy flavour cannot deny its anti-depressant properties. It relaxes your senses, flexes your muscles. It renders you susceptible to humour, and observant of your surroundings as though you were a talent-spotting agent for hilarity. Anyway, here are some things you should know about this magic beverage.
What is kava?
Kava is Piper methysticum, or a type of pepper plant found in South Pacific. The roots of the kava plant is where the drink itself originates; the root is processed – its methods varies depending on the country – and is mixed with water to produce its muddy water façade. When consumed, the immediate effects are tongue and limbs numbing. Gradually you find yourself becoming increasingly talkative and alert to your surroundings.
Kava preparation
The kava roots are harvested to be processed in various, often hilariously creative, ways, though prior to the grinding of the roots into the solute they come in two forms: dried and fresh. Dried kava can be easily pounded into its powder form using a pestle and mortar. This is the method of preparation employed in Fiji, especially within village communities, where bunches of dried kava roots are often presented as gifts (I'll come back to that).
Fresh kava, which is massively more potent when prepared than its dried counterpart, demands much more complex means of processing, due to the moisture. When I was in Vanuatu, at the village Walarano on the island of Malekula, villages grind their fresh kava roots into mushy solutes by passing through a meat mincer. On Tanna, home to Mt Yasur, the practice of chewing kava is common – the numbing sensation is instantaneous as I crushed the plant down to the fibres under my molars.
The way I consume
Drinking kava is casual activity in many Pacific countries. Ni-Vans (inhabitants of Vanuatu), for instance, consider kava-drinking recreational – they regard their practice of consuming kava before a meal routinal, not part of their rigid sophisticated code of spiritual kastom, or customs. Quite the contrary, Fiji has a great deal of spiritual and political reverence for kava.
It is customary to bless the yaqona – kava in Fijian – and its container the tanoa, often a huge wooden bowl or a mere plastic tub for poorer communities, by saying a prayer and asking for the ancestors' blessing before the kava is distributed, in coconut shells called bilos, to the receivers, all sat cross-legged and surrounding the tanoa in a circle. The mixer is accompanied by two 'guards', who share the duty of preparing the kava by adding water to the mixture and assessing its concentration.
Upon receiving a bilo, you should clap once and say 'Bula' – cheers in Fijian – before draining its content in one go. Clap three times, and utter a 'Vinaka' or thank you for courtesy's sake. The server – one of the two tanoa guards – and people sitting around you may shout out 'maca' (pronounced ma-tha), which means empty and proclaims so for politeness's sake.
Traditional values – what representations?
One of the most frequently asked questions: why clap three times? The three claps represent one's desire to show respect by letting sound three thunderous proclamations, to be carried across the whole of Fiji to 'inform' the lands of this commitment of tribute. It is the ultimate act of respect, which can be performed in many more Fijian aspects of life than yaqona alone.
And ever seen bundles of dried kava roots presented as presents, like bunches of flowers? Kava is the ultimate gesture of peace and appreciation: it is presented as a visitor requests hospitality from a host, as a peacemaker seeks a truce with his enemy, as a suitor proposes marriage to his lover's father. However, it is a tabua that is used when one commits to a business proposal. The tabua, a sperm whale tooth, was presented by Ben Keene to Tui Mali, the chief who owns Vorovoro, when he ceremoniously leased the island to set up the Tribewanted project.
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