Our Queen of the Caracas weekends… the beer!!!
www.vheadline.com Posted: Friday, March 14, 2003 By: Thais J. Gangoo
VHeadline.com lifestyle correspondent Thais J. Gangoo writes: A short word that brings the spice to our lives!
There's no night life in Caracas without a cold beer ... no one of ever knew how important it was for us until last December when it practically disappeared from our kitchens, discos, supermarkets and even liquor stores, giving the chance to our traditional “Guarapita” to show up again more than ever before. Of course, no one could find our queen, so people started inventing all kinds of cocktails so they could enjoy at least a nice “Dominoes game” during the strike.
A couple of months ago, people would pay up to Bs 3,000 for only one beer. Right now we can find a beer for even Bs 350each! No wonder now the streets of Caracas are full of people from all ages after 12 in the morning hanging out with their buddies, drinking beer, dancing and having all the fun they missed during the strike. Although, asking for a beer has become not an easy task for some. There are so many options to order a beer. And it has been the idea of the owners of many places located in Caracas so people can keep their pockets from being empty. We can see them served in big jars, buckets, bottles and all kinds of containers. We can enjoy a beer in so many ways!
What about those Venezuelans who life overseas? Can they find a “Birra” wherever they are?
In many places around the world people can ask for one and experience the taste our cherished beer ... I'm pretty sure our VHeadline.com readers in the US can find it easily because I did, when I lived there ... you guys are going to love it!
Beer is one of the most famous beverages in the world and it has become one way of helping people to celebrate any occasion and relax. Now, here comes a question: What is it in beer that makes it so special? Beer is just a mixture of some barley, hops, water and yeast besides those special other ingredients each company has. Going through several steps until we get the final product delivered anywhere we are ... the “Birra” ... that’s how we call it in Venezuela, our faithful friend anytime. Moreover, there are many facts about beer that we don’t know about.
For instance… Did you know that...
Just like cereals, beer is a rich source of B vitamins ?
Drinking a bottle of beer a day can reduce the risk of kidney stones about 40%?
The first to brew beer where the Egyptians?
It takes 1500 gallons of water to make 1 barrel of beer?
Beer is less fattening than milk?
In the Andes, a corn based beer called Chicha is produced by allowing Amyltylic Enzymes in human saliva to break down starches into sugars?
The world Guinness World Beer record in 1979 was reached when Steven Petrocino drank a liter of beer in 1.3 seconds?
Isn’t that interesting? We all drink it if not every weekend once in a while, but maybe some of us didn’t know these facts about beer. I'm pretty sure there is still a lot more information about it.
After midnight…
Last week, I was invited to go out to a well known place located in Las Mercedes. For all our VHeadline.com readers who don’t know ... Las Mercedes is like South Beach for all the “Caraquenos” ... it's the neighborhood where all the streets are decorated with lights and all kinds of designs specially made for the discos, pubs, and restaurants there. Places for all tastes ... from the most elegant places to the informal cafeteria ... and, if you're lucky enough, you get to see the stars from the TV shows and even famous characters we have seen on the news lately...
Sometimes our eyes are not fast enough to see the newest bikes and cars that some like to show off when they go out ... people go to Las Mercedes to have fun, and show off what they've got!
It’s the place to be … if you want to be seen!
Get the party started…
After-hours making calls and deciding what time to meet in that place, we finally got there. We had agreed that we would meet there at 10 o’clock, however, just like most Venezuelans, some of our friends got there after 11 or so. It is funny, but some things we’ll never change, and one of them is the quality of being late sometimes when we go out to party.
When we got there, the place was empty ... for a moment I thought people were not going out as much as before for any reason, and I truly couldn’t believe it. Venezuelans like to party no matter what! Anyway, we ordered a bucket-full of beers and waited for the others. Of course we couldn’t forget the popcorn and the chicken wings!
Amazingly, the place was packed after almost 1 o’clock in the morning ... people do go out and they do enjoy it!
Later and later each day, and I keep wondering why ... why do we go out that late, when we could go out earlier and have more time to have a blast?
That’s a good question that some of our VHeadline.com readers might like to wonder about ... try to answer and even help me understand.
After a few hours, we left the place and drove around the city. Oh, what else can we ask for? At that time you can see it all you have never seen before; from some silly fights to the newest romance being born. You can even seen others helping their buddies get back on their feet or get them into a taxi, making sure they get home safe.
Of course there is a sad side to the story too … a little girl, or a little boy, selling flowers and all kind of things to bring home some money, and even a homeless person looking inside a trashcan to get something to eat. Sadly, there is always the other side of the story.
Before going home…
At the end of the night (or should I say the beginning of the day?), it's impossible to miss an “Arepa,” a “Cachapa,” or even a hot dog on the street ... that’s the best part for some Caraquenos … there nothing like having a great time with your buddies drinking beer and dancing ... and then before going home, to have “Breakfast” around 5 o'clock.
Hopefully, we all remember what we did the night before, after we wake up. And believe me ... if we don’t. that means we probably had such a great time. Don’t think too much about the hangover you probably got thanks to the “Birra.” We all wish to have a delicious soup waiting for us to start the day again and wait for our welcome Monday!
There is no doubt about it….
“Venezuelans bring the spirit to the party, and the beer is the Queen of our weekends!”