Kava

Kava drinking is the heart of Fiji culture, so I think I should devote an own posting on it.

In the evenings, men and women gather around a bowl called Tanoa. Traditionally this bowl is carved from wood, but on the Yasawas Islands we found that the simple people nowadays like to use a big plastic buoy cut in half, it's probably cheaper. The drink itself is prepared in a ritual that involves filling the powderized dried root of the kava plant into a cloth satchet, soaking it in cold water, kneading and pouring more water over it to create a milky brownish liquid. This drink is then poured in shallow cups made from coconut shells: the filled cup is passed to one person, who drinks it in one gulp, and passes the cup back to the chief who fills it for the next person, until everyone has had one. Then there is a break of about 10 minutes, filled with talk and/or singing and listening to music (Fijian men playing guitar and ukulele), before the next round of kava is distributed.

Kava doesn't make you drunk and is not addictive or dangerous to your health. What it does is make your body calm and relaxed. Typically you sleep very good after a kava night. The taste is nothing particularly pleasant: I find that it tastes "like if you get an injection at the dentist", referring to the tingling numbness it creates on your lips and tongue. The best part about the kava drinking is the socializing that comes with it. I find it very good that Fiji has a tradition like this and keeps it alive. It is an excellent alternative to alcohol drinking which has much more negative side effects.