From: donm@intacc.uucp (Don McKellar)
Subject: Re: Washington Post on Qat
Summary: Khat tails
Date: Thu, 24 Dec 1992 12:20:13 GMT
Expires: 1993Jan31
            <1992Dec18.110124.18290@genie.slhs.udel.edu>
Organization: Inter/Access' Matrix BBS
Keywords: Khat

In article <1992Dec18.110124.18290@genie.slhs.udel.edu> Tim Starr writes:

>All right, where can we get some of this Qat?
>
>
>Tim Starr - Renaissance Now! - Think Universally, Act Selfishly
>starr@genie.slhs.udel.edu
>
>"True greatness consists in the use of a powerful understanding to enlighten
>oneself and others." - Francois Marie Arouet Voltaire

If it's Khat you want:  check out the local mall.

It's not illegal...yet (in Canada that is) but they are
starting to hold up shipments thanks to the
extraordinary amount of ill-informed TV hype.  

Most khat is imported into Somalia from Kenya these
days (the Somalis are having a tough time on the
agricultural front as you may have heard), but I don't
know of any Kenyan merchants in the neighbourhood. There 
are, however, a number of good Ethiopian spice shops, 
as there probably are in most big cities.  I decided to 
pay them a visit and, sure enough, there it was in full 
display, a fairly abundant, fairly fresh, shelf-full of 
little green bags.

Khat is also grown in western Ethiopia where it is
called and spelled Chat.  Elsewhere it is referred to
variously as Khat, Qat, cat, or "Abyssinian Tea".  The
proper name is _Catha Edulis_, although there are
doubtless many other colloquial appellations.  The
preferred mode of ingesting the plant is the method
described in the posted article:  chewing the shiny
green leaves raw.  But it's not that easy to find a
fresh plant in Somalia just now (it would be even
harder for you I suspect)  so there is a more common
alternative.  

The leaves are ground into a fine powder.  This is how
you will find it in the store.  The sage green powder
is mixed in a little cup with a small amount of Coke. 
That's Coke with a capital "C" -- Coca-Cola.  

    "Things go better with Coke," said my Ethiopian 
    friend.

After you have stirred up the mixture until it is
thick, you take a small spoonful and put it in your
cheek, back where your wisdom teeth ought to be.  Then
you chew.  

This isn't so easy to do the first couple of times. 
For one thing, even with the Coke, the leaf is very
bitter.  On top of that, it is very hard to keep in the
corner of your mouth.  The idea is to keep it in your
mouth for as long as possible.  At first, it tends to
wander around, staining your teeth and creeping down
your throat, but with a little practice you can look
like a pro.  Every now and then you can take a sip of
water to wash down the stray bits.  When you're
finished, simply put the remains in the fridge and use
it next time.  

Khat, used this way, is a very social drug.  After
dinner Ethiopians (and other Africans) brew up a pot of
hot sweet tea, put the Khat bowl in the middle of the
table, and chat with there family and friends.  It's
not the kind of drug you are going to use in the
bathroom stall at the nightclub.

    "They don't understand," said my friend, "there is
    nothing to do in Somalia.  There is no TV like
    here.  All we can do is sit and talk.  Everyone
    does it."

I sat around with a group of Ethiopians at a local
restaurant and tried to get a feel for things.  Diner
was excellent and so was the company.  The Khat seemed
to have the effect of strong coffee with a slight added
euphoria as the night wore on.  There is, apparently, a
small addictive factor, on par with Nicotine, I'm told. 
My friend confessed that she sometimes skipped school
to pick up leaves from a nearby farmer.  

    "So you were addicted ?" I asked.
    "I think so, but I also wanted to skip school."

Normal moderate use, however, seems to be quite safe. 
No one knew of any side effects.  I was told that my
little bag should last me for a month.  When I
purchased some more I had to persuade her that it was
for some friends of mine.  As a matter of fact, I was
telling the truth.  With the happy green bags and the
moderate price, it makes for the ideal stocking stuffer
in my books.  Topical too.

If this is too late a notice, remember that Somalia's
Christmas is on January 7th.  

Seasons greetings.



donm.     

--donm@intacc.uucp--



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