Throughout my time in Fiji, my biggest cultural discovery has been kava. Everyone on the island knows about this drink, and most adults have tried it once. It is a light brown liquid that, sorry to say, tastes like spicy dirt water! After you drink it, it slowly makes you lose the feeling of your tongue and mouth. It's the same feeling when your dentist numbs your mouth, and you can’t feel anything! My first time drinking it no one told me, and I was scared that I might be allergic, but now I enjoy the feeling. This drink is a very important part of not just Fijian culture but Pacific Islander culture. Many other countries in the Pacific Islands also drink kava. It is a part of daily life, parties, as well as all important ceremonies. When visiting villages as a gift, it is common for you to bring kava root to villages to make kava in a ceremony called, “Sevusevu.” I have asked how it’s made, and it's an easy recipe. You take the dry roots of the kava plant and crush it into powder. You put the kava powder into a bag and like tea, you mix the bag in water until the water turns brown. Now that I have tasted kava many times, I can see it makes you feel relaxed.
Durante mi estancia en Fiji, mi mayor descubrimiento cultural ha sido la kava.Pages
