Hitting the bottle 🙂

The writing on the wall says: “Do not use abusive language”

Almost all of the brew was “left over”

That’s the Toddy “Hotel”

The earthen pots that store the concoction

The “bar” owner and the “offering” to the Gods

If there was one thing I really wanted to experience while in Kerala, it was the local brew, toddy! I was told there are bars everywhere that offer the drink, an alcoholic beverage collected from the sap of various species of palm trees like date palms and coconut palms.
A friend of my host in Kollam was generous enough to drive several miles to a “Toddy Hotel” where we procured a one litre bottle and sat down to “drink.”
One sip and I had had enough. It was acidic and bitter at the same time, not the sweet concoction I was told it is and it smelt awful. Since I am far from a regular drinker, this was nothing but disgusting.
Less than a quarter of a glass was far too much for me to sip and it promptly went into the drain. However, our friend was quite at ease with a glassful and had the remaining transferred to a smaller bottle to take along with him as we left.
Before that, however, I went around the “bar” and found several “cabins” and “Family space” where, I was told, men and women and sit together, drink and eat. The women will not necessarily have the toddy but will indulge in delicacies like beef fry and fish.
The whole place gave a rather unclean and unkempt look and was far from inviting for anyone like me whose only purpose was to “take a look” at what the fuss was all about.
And, yes, I did ask why we had to drive over 15 minutes when such places were supposed to be “everywhere”. The answer: “We do not drink near where we stay. We always go to the other areas.”
That made sense!