ETHIOPIA: Araki

The Lonely Planet book had a listing for araki bars in Bahir Dar. Araki is a potent grain alcohol, made from tef I am told, the same grain that is the basis of injera. So off we went to find some araki. We went o the area as indicated in the map. No araki. One bar came over with bottle of gin after we ordered araki. Gin! Phooey, who wants gin when you are searching for araki? We asked a bunch of places if they could lead us to an araki bar. Finally, a patron of one establishment provided us with some obscure directions that included a shady hotel and a dark alley. We followed the directions and ended up looking down a very dark alley. A man was loitering outside the alley and we said hesitantly “Araki?” He indicated that we should follow him down the narrowest, smelliest, darkest alley I have ever been down. Of course, we followed. After a few minutes, the alley intersected with a muddy road and our impromptu guide pointed to a small hole-in-the-wall building that we had to walk down a few steps to get into. We would have never found this on our own.

We enter and there is a front room with some men sitting around a low table. The dirt floor is covered with straw and there is a log to sit on. There are lights on in the back room and there appears to be a bar. I poke my head in the back and see a woman and a man behind the bar. The men at the front table heartily greet us and we say we are looking for araki. They lift their shot glasses telling us that, yes, we arrived in the correct place. A waitress comes out, they speak some Amharic. She looks at us wearily, leaves, and returns with a bottle of clear liquid and fills two shot glasses. araki smells god-awful. Like when you open up the gas tank of a really old car that hasn’t run in a while. Old petroleum smell. Not as bad going down. Cleans the sinuses pretty well. Although served in a shot glass it is a sipping drink. At least I sipped mine. One was enough. Upon finishing we asked how much. Two birr. I gave the waitress a Birr 10 bill. The men at the table were saddened to see us go. “At least buy us a round,” they implored. At Birr 2, what the hell? I told the waitress to load them up with another round. I even did the “another round” hand movement with my forefinger making a circle in the air. There were three guys drinking araki at the table. The Birr 10 covered everyone and paid my tab. Where else can I buy a round of shots for about $1 USD?

For those wondering how I justify denying homeless children fresh bread yet buy a round of alcohol for drunk men, I’m not sure I can. But I’ll try. The Ethiopian guidebooks and the official tourist brochures all explicitly state not to give to begging children. Not money, not food, not empty plastic bottles. Nothing. The rationale is that giving only encourages this behavior and it keeps them out of school if they know every farangi will slip them a Birr note. On the other hand, buying drinks for locals while visiting their country is only common courtesy.