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Hard times and hard liquor in wartime Baghdad
Drinkers in the Iraqi capital are hard up these days -- the main liquor-selling district in Karradet Mariam has the misfortune of being right next to the main presidential palace, a top target for U.S. bombers. Damm, that'll piss off the troop's when they get there. Scores of liquor stores selling everything from Tayyara (Plane) arak, an ultra-strong alcohol made of dates with a picture of an airliner taking off on the label, to European beer brands were closed even before the war started 13 days ago. And those which struggled to stay open to meet wartime demand have bad news for their customers. Hanna Boulos (John Peter), a small store in the mainly Christian area, re-opened on Tuesday, hours after the presidential compound took another battering on Monday night. "Yes, we raised our prices. Try to find another Heineken in Baghdad," said Akram, the son of the owner as he doubled the price of a half-litre can of imported beer to $3. Hell, that's not bad. I was paying $10 for a can of beer in downtown Tokyo. The war premium extends to everything Hanna Boulos sells, including arak. Unlike the Lebanese and Syrian variety, which are made of grapes, Iraqi arak requires a strong stomach and cautious consumption is advised. Asriyah, the premium Iraqi arak brand, is out of stock at Hanna Boulos. Tayyara, the second best line, has now doubled in price to 4,000 dinars ($1.30) a bottle. And they think this is expensive? Another good reason to move our troops here from Saudi, cheap booze. "Arak is selling fast," says Akram. "Customers want something that knocks them out quickly during bombardment." Usually, the pounding in my head starts the morning after drinking, but I see his point. If you're gonna get bombed, get really bombed! Iraqis were starting to buy arak as a substitute for local beer, such as Farida and Shahrazad, whose factories have closed. Iraq , a mainly Muslim country, has traditionally taken a more relaxed attitude to alcohol than its Gulf neighbours, despite occasional crackdowns. Beer and wine were available in smart Baghdad restaurants in the days leading up to war. Iraqi beer used to be affordable, selling for about 10 cents in refillable bottles. Its strong barley taste was too much for most foreigners but for Iraqis, impoverished and unable to buy imported beer, it was fine -- at least before the war. "I am buying arak now," said Raeq, a taxi driver. "I think it is destroying my stomach, but I need to sleep at night, especially where I live." Raeq lives next to the Iraqi Olympic Committee, which is headed by President Saddam Hussein's son Uday. The huge compound was targeted by bombs overnight and remained burning for hours. Sorry, Raeq. Sucks to have neighbors like that. Posted by: Steve 2003-04-01 |
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