Some nights, just any other thirty-somethings living in the big city, we go around the corner to have a beer at the local pub. Except our "pub" is a little courtyard fenced in with grass mats and flanked by a small grass hut housing a generator and a deep freezer. It's called the Star Bar because well, being outside, it has a great view of the stars. With only diesel generator fed electricity for the rich and no city power, few people can afford to power outdoor lights, especially those big enough to cause light pollution. The result is that you can see the stars here in Aweil very, very well.
The Star Bar has a pretty decent variety of beers (4) including the most disgusting Chinese made 13.8% alcohol malt beverage they simple refer to as "13" and it's Russian counterpart called "9" for the same reasons. They also offer french fries with the most fluorescent, vinegar flavored version of ketchup I've ever seen, greasy India style chapati bread, and their famous "half pizza" which is neither a pizza nor half of anything. It's a Spanish tortilla and it's pretty good when it's available which isn't often.
The best part of Star Bar is the entertainment. Other than being owned by one of the hospital employees and getting to chat to his wife and play with his kid, there is also a generator powered TELEVISION!!! On which there is often and Arabic over-dubbed American movie or WWF fight DVD playing LOUDLY. Love it. My culture as interpreted by the Arab world and then in turn sold to developing sub-Saharan African nations. There's nothing like drinking really bad, warm beer and watching Predator on a trinitron surrounded by a crowd of displaced Eritreans and Darfurians.
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The Star Bar has a pretty decent variety of beers (4) including the most disgusting Chinese made 13.8% alcohol malt beverage they simple refer to as "13" and it's Russian counterpart called "9" for the same reasons. They also offer french fries with the most fluorescent, vinegar flavored version of ketchup I've ever seen, greasy India style chapati bread, and their famous "half pizza" which is neither a pizza nor half of anything. It's a Spanish tortilla and it's pretty good when it's available which isn't often.
The best part of Star Bar is the entertainment. Other than being owned by one of the hospital employees and getting to chat to his wife and play with his kid, there is also a generator powered TELEVISION!!! On which there is often and Arabic over-dubbed American movie or WWF fight DVD playing LOUDLY. Love it. My culture as interpreted by the Arab world and then in turn sold to developing sub-Saharan African nations. There's nothing like drinking really bad, warm beer and watching Predator on a trinitron surrounded by a crowd of displaced Eritreans and Darfurians.
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