Portuguese Era Taverns - Dying a slow death?

What is a Tavern you ask? Taverns are traditional liquor outlets exclusively selling country liquor like Feni and were highlights of the village or city nightlife till the 80’s in Goa.

It was in 1984 that the then State government opened up opportunities for taverns to be converted into a Bar and Restaurant. They needed to have toilets and facilities to serve Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL).

"There used to be a small window where you could buy your drink and then drink it sitting on a bench. There were no chairs or desks during those days," recalls my father Braulio De Miranda, a retired bank manager and a teetotaler who used to visit taverns only to accompany his friends.

These taverns may appear shady but it’s usually just the lighting and dull paint. While a handful have renovated, most are content with peeling paint, plastic chairs and tables and dim lighting. Some taverns are attached to people’s homes. In some taverns there is usually a TV in a corner, playing films and serials of different languages. House dogs and strays wander in and out. Some taverns serve only feni and urrak.

Food is not too common and there’s often no menu. The staple is chone-bhikna (gram and peanuts), a salad or boiled eggs. In bars attached to homes, sometimes food being cooked finds its way to tables; it’s complimentary.

What happened to all the taverns nowadays? There is a mad rush to convert taverns into Bars and Restaurants encashing on the requirement of customers who wanted their daily dose of liquor in a better place.

Even the mud houses where taverns were located have become crumbling structures or they have been replaced with concrete structures leaving no room for these Portuguese-era liquor outlets.

According to news reports, there are only 160 taverns left in Goa. Figures by the state excise department for 2018 state that only 113 taverns had liquor licences issued/renewed. These kinds of taverns can only be found in Goa. It is ingrained in our culture. You go anywhere in Goa, a forgotten village or even a highway, and you will find a bar there.

My personal favourite Tavern is called "Joseph Bar" which is tucked in Panjim’s Latin Quarters (Fontainhas). This gem is lit with little bulbs that pop out like fireflies off the decaying building that houses it. It is no modern day tavern, it has been there since the 70's. Although it has been renovated off late, it’s been doing its bit, in true millennial hipster fashion - to introduce people to tavern culture.

Visiting these tavernas is something different, something unique: You feel comfortable and safe, there’s cheap alcohol and good food, there’s no excess noise, and the hospitality is very good – better than our modern day restaurants and bars which rip you off on the behest of GST, VAT and service charge itself.

Traditional taverns belonging to the Portuguese era are fighting a losing battle against the onslaught of modern bar and restaurants in Goa. 

Something needs to be done to keep our traditional cultures alive in this modernised era.