Arif displaying that warm Fijian Hospitality, invited us to stay with him. We were really looking forward to the Kava Ceremony. That and lots of chocolate tasting!
Bob, who is Cacao Fiji’s foreman at the Dreketi farm, also lives next door to Arif (Bob was also the sweet guy that came looking for us when we were lost and kept me on the phone until we knew where we were). He played master of ceremonies, mixing the Kava.
What is kava? It’s the national Fiji drink also known as “Fiji wine”. “Kava is a mildly narcotic drink made from mixing the powdered root of the pepper plant (piper methysticum) with water and results in a numb feeling around the mouth, lips and tongue and a sense of relaxation.”
It was served to us in small coconut shells. At first I thought we were only going to get one cup of it. But, the idea was to drink ALL of it. Of course!
The whole point of sharing kava is to take your time, tell stories and be social. Arif would clap by cupping his hands together. That was the signal to pass around another cup. What a wonderful way to get to know someone. You are totally present, relaxed and talkative, a known by-product of sharing Kava.
We eventually did some chocolate tasting. Everyone agreed our favorite pairing was the Kava with our Fiji dark chocolate bar.
Bob’s mom, Penie, spoiled us by making some delicious meals during our stay. Chicken marinated in tomato and spices, taro, potato & egg salad, with soursop and mango juices. We also had tea in the afternoon and my favorite, Fiji bread (I think it was called baba cow, at least that’s what it sounded like) for breakfast. Baba cow is like thick beignets (without the powdered sugar). You smother it in butter and jam...duh, of course!
Arif’s home sits on the banks of the Dreketi River. A picturesque little piece of paradise. It’s so relaxing to just hang out and take it all in.
The property is surrounded by coconut, mango and papaya trees, several kinds of passion fruit, a corn field and huge cassava plants. I loved watching the fisherman go by on their boats. Arif also has a dock and in true Fijian fashion there were lots of fisherman coming and going or walking up to the house to say hi and fill their water.
No comments:
Post a Comment