Hello from Sunny Djibouti!
I'm getting to know Khat a tiny bit better, as I chat about it with my fellow employees, various friends and random people I meet when I decide to go out of my office. Don't worry though! My 'Prevention' spirit always stand and, unless something really flagrant happens in my life, I can see no reason for that to change :).
It appears that, at the beginning of any encounter, any conversation, no Djiboutian will 'brouter', ie 'graze', or munch Khat leaves for 6-8 hours. Khat is, for some reason, off limits for people that one does not know that well... Yet, it only takes 4-5 minutes of open, friendly chatting for most people you talk to to admit that they do Khat occasionally, that they do Khat every day, Khat is like wine, one has to do it to remain friendly and social. On rare occasions, I had, however, the chance to talk about the implications of this awesome plant on people and society (see previous post). Most people agree, though, that Khat won't kill you, and that it's probably good for you when it comes to blood circulation and vitamins... At least that was the outcome of a chat with a nurse I met here!
The real implication of Khat on health is however much more hidden and perverse: Diabetes. Although Khat itself does not contain any sugar, its effects are stimulated by sugar. It is therefore the norm to see people munching Khat around a bottle of Coca-Cola or any other soft drink. It is therefore also natural that the Atlanta company opened a number of factories in... Djibouti, a destination which might sound less than natural at first thought.
The soft drink manufacturer's new slogan, "open happiness' takes all its meaning here! Happiness is indeed what Coke is selling, at least in the beginning. Tough that Diabetes is one of the highest in the world around here!
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