-Brian Mendonça
There are no dearth of bars in Goa. My mother used to say,
‘If you throw a stone in Goa, it would fall on a bar, a D’Souza, or a pig.’
Times were different then.
Yet the allure of bars remains. As evening drips into night
one can see them filled to capacity. Bereft of their soul in the day, the
often-crammed spaces, spring to life at dusk. There in the noisy banter of
drinkers, you realise that the troubles of this world are not on your shoulders
alone. Even if you are alone, you can always swoop on an unsuspecting lone
tippler and jettison your cargo of cares.
Being so well-frequented bars have become landmarks of a
place. Like proliferating garbage dumps -- which have long ago been enlisted
for the same purpose – bars have their unique sense of place and identity.
Different types of people will frequent different types of bars. They also have
their favourite place to sit.
So it is with some reluctance that I cross the bars in the
city on my way home. Given the time (the inclination is always there) I should
slip in surreptitiously and take a seat well away from the dim light. No matter
if I am having water (it looks like caju
feni anyway), what I would like most to do is to watch the people in the
bar. From the swagger in their stride to the smirk on their lips every gesture
tells a story. Here you will meet raconteurs
of the first order, uninhibited, fearless, and happy.
People in bars speak about the day, office politics,
elections, deals, or business. A little liquor does much to loosen the tongue
and there are brands for the asking. The pungent smell of the various brews
make you want to taste all, if the night be young. The flourish with which each
drinker steps forward to order his poison; the controlled impatience of the
bar-tender waiting for the drinker to make up his mind; the hurried pouring out
of the elixir from the goblet to the glass – are a delight to watch.
There are delicious snacks to go with your drinks. From a
pleasingly proffered plate of peanuts in their pods to more spicy starters,
companions abound to help you nurse your drink. As you sip on your glass you
can always give the dinner order.
Names of bars have been quite fascinating. From the
long-standing Alex Bar in Vasco, to Unique Bar and Restaurant in Dona Paula, I
was delighted to learn of Perish Bar in Merces. I have decided to go and see
this bar for myself.
Excessive drinking has ruined
families and lives. Another of mum’s words of caution were, ‘First the man
takes a drink, then the drink takes another drink, then the drink takes the
man.’ Women drinkers, particularly teenage girls, are on the rise in Goa.
Proceed with caution.
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