Osprey - 8-21-2008 at 07:33 AM
Some of you seemed to like my little fiction based on fact piece about what the Hensley’s learned about pulque on their way to Acapulco. Some readers
were able to add very interesting and illuminating comments to my fiction piece. For that reason, hoping we might be in the mood again I follow the
couple to another libation station in Mexico.
Balché, Maya Beer
Up the Hatch?
The steering was smooth, the little Corolla was hugging the curves nicely so the Hensleys decided to buzz right through Colima, stay the night in
Lazaro Card##as and have an easy two or three hour drive the next morning along the scenic coast to Acapulco. The plan worked perfectly and they found
a quaint and charming small hotel in Acapulco high on a hill with a wonderful view of the famous harbor.
After a relaxing afternoon by the pool, a little siesta, they found a local restaurant, La Paloma, just two blocks down the hill. The big bamboo bar
looked inviting so they sat there for a drink before dinner. There was a faint whiff of mesquite smoke drifting in from the cooking area that put the
nudge on their saliva glands.
Two bartenders were busy cutting limes and mangos, getting ready for the dinner crowd. The two looked cool and comfortable in their uniforms – both
were short, swarthy with dark hair and mustaches.
“Buenes Tardes, what may I get for you?”
“Everybody’s speaking English now. That’s great.” Said Harold.
“I better speak English. I’m from Seattle. Where are you folks from?”
“Tahoe, we’re vacationing. We just drove in today, our first trip to Acapulco.”
“Well, it’s a great city. I know you’ll enjoy it. Our specialty is Mango Daiquiris.”
Harold and Diane both ordered one. As the bartender set the drinks before them Harold said “We broke down in a little town north of here and a nice
gringo bartender there told us all about pulque; all about the fermenting, the caca in the sock, about the…….”
“That guy was just having a little fun with the tourists. That’s not how they make pulque. To enhance the fermentation they just add some active
pulque from another batch. Have you traveled to the Yucatan? Did he tell you about the Maya beer, Balché?”
“No, we just drove down the west coast, from Arizona. What is Balché?”
“The Maya invented it. It was a sacred drink from a sacred tree. They took the bark from the Balché tree, hollowed out a fallen log, put the bark in
the depression in the log with some water and honey, let it ferment naturally – no myths, no caca, no sock, just sweet, Maya beer.
I will admit I heard from good authority that in that raw state it was rough on the stomach so a lot of it was taken anally – they used a smooth, thin
hollowed out bone. If you’re going home by way of Mexico City you can see scores of glyphs at the museum showing the bone, the process. There might
have been lots of mind-altering plants the Maya learned about, took in this way for sacred and not so sacred rituals. The stomach and the liver are
set up to counter or filter out some things we ingest like drugs, alcohol, alkaloids, so if you wanted the quick effects of things that adversely
affect your digestive system, the enema was always the way to go – no I.V. drips or hypo needles back then.
Western U.S. plains Indians wanted the hallucinogens in peyote but couldn’t swallow it without getting sick before the kick. Once, in my wilder times,
I did 20 days in the Men’s Correctional Facility near Las Vegas. A few of the inmate ground keepers cut and stashed some loco weed, datura, didn’t
know how to take it in, ate it. Two died, five others almost died.
Anyway, if you get over to Quitana Roo ask about the drink from the Balché tree, try some Balché, ice cold, in a glass. They refine it now, for the
tourists. Easier on the tummy. Tastes a little like Dr. Pepper to me.”
[Edited on 8-21-2008 by Osprey]
rpleger - 8-21-2008 at 07:38 AM
Great story, Thanks
vandenberg - 8-21-2008 at 07:44 AM
Fishhawk,
With that active a mind, you must have trouble sleeping.
motoged - 8-21-2008 at 01:43 PM
The rectal administration of drugs was noted in Egyptian hieroglyphics....as you say, to bypass the stomach's reluctance to thank the ingestor for the
"toxin" it had just received...
Some drugs (non-recreational) are still administered that way.
Gives a new meaning to "what a bummer!"
:lo
Angel's Trumpet is a rather attractive plant. Our city groundskeeping department was planting them in city flower pots for a few years recently until
teens started showng up in the emergency ward with overdoses....same can be said for the vine morning glory plants which have seeds with
hallucinogenic properties.
Now, Damiana.....that has a different reputation ....which may or may not be true....it is alleged to get a different "rise" from folks