The Wine Shop

Alcohol culture here is so bizarre. I think because the idea is so taboo, people react to it in such bizarre ways. Strangely, in fact. It is not by any means illegal, but even still, people act like it is. I wonder if they prefer to act like it’s illegal so they get more joy from drinking? I don’t know.

In any case, I’ve noticed that the idea of enjoying an alcoholic beverage is a concept completely foreign to their sensibilities. First of all, most restaurants, even high class hotels don’t have an alcohol license. So even if you go to a north Indian restaurant, it’s not possible to savor your tandoori chicken and naan with a tall, ice cold glass of Kingfisher. I have only seen alcohol served at 5 star hotels that usually only have foreign clients. Oh, and if you go to a whatever restaurant and ask if they have a liquor license, they look at you as if you’re an alien.

And then there’s the wine shop. It’s not an actual store that you can walk into, it’s just a random counter facing the street. So men, often already drunk men come, buy their bottle of whiskey, open it, drink it on the street and stumble off back where they came from. How weird is that?

There is absolutely no wine culture here because well, there’s no wine. Indian wine is the most dreadful beverage on the planet. So there really is only beer, whiskey and gin to choose from.

If you analyze the alcohol culture here, it’s actually indicative of more than just booze. I find that there is shame and guilt associated not with the consumption of these things, but with the public consumption of alcohol, and tobacco. I know plenty of women who smoke here but you would never, ever see them enjoying a cigarette during working hours, or on the street. But in the comfort of their own homes, they happily light up. Similarly with drinking, there are plenty of people who have a beer at home after work, but they would a. never admit to it because of the religious façade they’ve put up, and b. never offer alcohol to a guest because then everyone would know. But I’ve heard on more than one occasion that these same people “know how to party.” It is the idea of "people talking" that everyone is so afraid of. It's not the doing that is the issue, it's the "what will people think?" that is the problem. For example, because of the religious beliefs of certain people in this school, the faculty house is supposed to be an alcohol and tobacco free zone - which we were happily told with an overly exaggerated wink wink and nudge nudge.

So in conclusion, I’ve learned that everyone does everything, but no one talks about it. Weird.