We Drunk, but today Girls drink more than their Dads

Drinking old-school Chafua Meza :booze no longer a men-only affair

By Ainea Bolingo Updated Sunday, January 12th 2014 

The festive mood is still in the air. I must however say that the only present I ever got as I ‘jumped the year,’ was a bottle of Glenlivet. The single malt came courtesy of a decade old woman friend. She must have seen how age was working hard to wear me down – 10 years is a long time. Trust me, the single malts are the best whisky’s you can get around. You don’t need to mix it with coke or water having matured for 18 years. And of course they are expensive and good for the heart. Armed with the drink, I had every reason to stay indoors. Come Christmas day, I had to go for the traditional breakfast and lunch at my shags in Karen with Luambo and the sister Miss Oj. Being the mummy’s boy, she gave me another bottle. The drink seemed to open my memory bank with every sip. I could vividly remember the first time I tasted alcohol. Impossible to access wine I must have been in class six then. Curiosity pushed me to sneak into my parent’s room to gulp Martini. What I thought would taste like water, landed on my tongue reminiscent of some bitter acid. It was nowhere close to water as my little imagination had made me believe. After that experience, the closest I came to wine was in church mostly. Being an alter boy, it was not impossible to access wine. The next time I came face to face with alcohol, I was 18. Age had given me a permit to sneak to Buru shopi and buy one frothy liquid. We preferred Tusker Export – it came in a smaller bottle. That’s what our college pockets could afford. We would therefore ‘manufacture’ our own Toivo or Kantata to quench our thirsts. Toivo was an improved version of chibuku also known as ‘Chakula Kinyuaji’. One did not need to eat since Toivo was food itself. As a precaution, most partakers of the drink held the bottom of their trousers with strong rubber bands incase diarrhea came – it did most of the time. Our main supplier of Toivo in Nairobi was a good friend – he is a CEO at a blue chip company, so I will not mention his name. He received Jerrycans from a supplier in Naivasha. The supplies were stored in his university hostel room. It was until we landed stable jobs when we graduated to beer and Gin. Seven per cent alcohol The Jameson for those days was Russia Vodka Borzoi. This was a knock out and only the strong could survive. There was also Ken Brew that was seven per cent alcohol. It didn’t last for long and was soon withdrawn –rumour had it that it was named after politician Kenneth Matiba. We would drink at Base club Buru – K-Rep Bank now occupies the spot. We frequented the spot with my buddies Tom Kipara, Johnstone, Morry Dj until the day there was a shoot out. It was a funny scene as Morry and I forced our massive bodies under the stools We would also take Woodpecker but it cost twice the price of beer which was six shillings. Thanks today we can down safe drinks at affordable prices even girls are known to drink more than their dads. I remember an incident where a friend took his college girl for a drink. He took Tusker light while the lady downed Guinness kubwa. He chewed a black out and when he woke up, he found the girl still going strong, and even exchanged all he’s light beer with Guinness.