5 minute read
TAVERNS OF GOA
THE REVIVAL OF THE TAVERNA CONCEPT IN GOA
By Rajesh Ghadge Images Google
Tavernas in Goa are not a new idea but they were on the verge of extinction because of bistros, bars, and the new age atmosphere of trance and electronic music. Bars remain the places where people meet for a drink or two but they ’ re now like old wine in a new bottle. “Taverns were a place when workers, at the end of a long day of work, would go for a quick shot of feni before heading home, ” Victor Hugo of Goa Chitra Museum says. “It was a place where people went for a break. ” We have started this tavern section of the Food & Hospitality magazine to simply breathe new life into what was a Portuguese-era concept. Modern bars and restaurants have near eliminated these old-styled tavernas and according to the Goa State Excise Department, there are only 160 taverns left in Goa and the number is dwindling with time. Taverns mostly sell country liquor and one of them is famously known as Feni. They ’ re usually small places without seating areas and food besides a lack of hygiene such as no availability of toilets inside the premises. "It was in 1984 that the then state government opened up opportunities for taverns to be converted into bars and restaurants. They needed to have toilets and facilities to serve Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL), " said the State Excise Commissioner, Menino D’Souza. The rat race of making more money and competing with others left Goans with no option but to convert their taverns into bars & restaurants thus attracting high-end customers and youngsters, but in the bargain, the original concept began to disappear. "Taverns usually served only country liquor. There used to be a small window where you could stop for your drink and then consume it sitting on a bench. There were no chairs or desks, " says Mahendra Alvares, a heritage activist who showcases Goa ' s past through his venture, "Big Foot, " located at Loutolim village. Another reason for the diminishing fate of the tavern was a decrease in demand for country liquor. Feni has a very potent taste and smell and is intoxicating. Only those who are used to drinking such strong liquor would visit the taverns. At the same time, an increase in demand for Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) kept growing due to its varieties and naturally, the consumption of country liquor has decreased. "My father had this tavern from the Portuguese times. Since then, business continues and although it’ s not making losses, it’ s also not as rosy as it was in the past, " says Greg Fernandes, a musician by profession. He is one of those who have retained the tavern tradition and is known for his "One Man Band" which plays for family and social events. "The place used to be crowded when Goa Medical College (GMC) was situated next to Panaji market before it was shifted to Bambolim. Now we have only our friend circles who drop in for their daily dose, " adds Greg, who has named his tavern Viva Liquor Shop. The tavern concept is more popular in the villages of Goa compared to the cities and tourist hubs, and the reason behind this is the demand from the locals. Villages do not have many facilities and pretty much no bars & restaurants and the locals also prefer to drink the country-made liquor, specifically Feni. But over time, the village boundaries are merging with the cities and one of the best examples of this is Taleigao situated close to Panaji in Tiswadi Taluka. Taleigao had many taverns once in the late
80s and 90s, but slowly most of them were either converted into bars & restaurants or given to non-Goans to run them and who sell everything including IMFL. There were taverns at the edge of fields for coconut pluckers and toddy tappers, and for farmers. To date, in some parts of Goa, there are taverns that open from midnight to early morning to cater to porters working their night shift. “It was a meeting place where people went to have a drink and a conversation. It was a stress buster, a small pleasure, for people who couldn ’t afford ‘ entertainment’ , " says Hansel Vaz, owner of Cazulo Premium Feni, and a tavern enthusiast. "You would get the daily news, there would be music, discussions on football matches, news from the village, and even games, " he adds. "Goans drank according to how they felt, what job they did. Alcohol is bad for your body but they found a balance in the tavern. ” Another thing that makes taverns different and less popular is the food/snacks that are served - most of them serve only boiled horse grams and peanuts known as “ chone-bhikna ” in Goa. Besides this some also serve boiled eggs, mangoes pickled in salt water (tora shiro), dry, salted mackerel (kharo bangdo), and Goan sausages (choris) with bread and fish cutlets or beef cutlets. The uniqueness of the tavern is the purity of the liquor served by them and perhaps that is the reason they ’ ve started catching back on once again in Goa. Most of the taverns in Goa serve pure Feni sourced right from local distillers and they have no branded bottle packaging some taverns also have a stand-out feature like a view of quiet tributaries or creeks, carrom or other local games, matka (a kind of lottery), or even a Feni distillery within. Today
’ s world relies on social media and the same goes for the revival of the taverns. Taverns were revived when tourism media such as Lonely Planet, Conde-Nast, IBB, and GQ India started promoting a very well-known tavern, Joseph Bar, situated in the heart of Fontainhas, the Latin Quarters of Panaji city. We could even say that Joseph Bar became the savior of the tavern concept in Goa and no content on tavern can be written without the mention of the same. You can also read about the Joseph Bar on our platform. So, to conclude, taverns are here to stay and we will keep promoting more places in our magazine in the future, but if you know of any specific tavern worth a mention, please drop us a mail at info@foodandhospitality.org
