Drink!

I'm Irish. I live in the Middle East.  I have conflicted views about alcohol now.

The first thing I did when I moved in was go to Arpico - the big local supermarket. I didn't want to. I wanted to support local small business but my hosts recommended it and now I have a loyalty card which makes me feel settled.

I needed to go because some friends were coming and so, of course, I needed to have booze to offer them. It felt very strange to just be able to do this by getting in a tuk tuk and spending money. I liked it.

The local booze is arrack. You can find out all about it here but, essentially, it is fermented from coconuts and ranges from "quite nice" to "gut rot". As you go around the various waterways you occasionally come across deserted, illegal arrack stills. I imagine the product from these is not twice distilled like the stuff I drank with coke last night.

If you'd like to come and stay here, the housekeeper (as I write I'm hoping Kamala) will buy or take you to buy whatever booze you'd like. You pay store prices and drink as though at home.