The cynical response to pleas for aid in the time of crisis is usually something along the lines of “it shouldn’t take a disaster!” Or “Instead of a percentage of proceeds, you should donate everything and not force people to buy something.” And “that’s right America, buy something unrelated so you can feel good about yourself.”
This line of thinking assumes that people donate for selfish reasons rather than out of compassion. Some do, sure, but it doesn’t matter.
When the Haiti earthquake hit, my first thoughts were for friends I’ve long lost contact with. If they managed to survive starvation, political instability and massive flash floods, I can only assume the earthquake made life… impossible.
When I heard the news, I went to my top shelf, rocks glass in hand, grabbed a bottle of 15 year-old Barbancourt Rhum and gave myself a heavy pour.
Since then, Barbancourt is the only rum I buy. In my head, I’m helping support the cane farmers, the distillers, and even the lone security guard that I met long ago at at a distillery, frozen in time and surrounded by cane fields just north of Port-au-Prince.
Earlier this week, Kim passed us a post on The Gray Market Report declaring March 25th, “Drink Sake Tonight” night(?). At first I got caught up in the cynicism. But how was this different from what I was doing privately? It wasn’t. It’s better. Mr. Gray is publicly trying to raise consciousness for the aide efforts in Japan.
From Mr. Gray:
I mentioned this plan to someone I know at JETRO, the Japanese export agency, and she said: “I heard many famous sake breweries have been broken in the earthquake and gone with the tsunami. Also, surviving breweries have been damaged. So, if you write about Sake, it helps and cheers up them (including me).”
So while you’re out tonight, ask for sake. Ask for a lot of sake. Ask for a sake drink at your favorite cocktail bar. And don’t forget the Suntory. And keep doing it beyond tonight.
Ask your local liquor store and bar to stock Barbancourt rum from Haiti and Pisco Capel Reservado, Pisco ABA and Bauza Pisco Especial from Chile while you’re at it.
Do what you can.
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