Anthropology Quote by Nigel Barley
““I had made an early policy decision to drink the native beer despite the undoubted horrors of the process of fabrication. On my very first visit to a Dowayo beer party, this was put severely to the test. "Will you have beer?" I was asked. "Beer is furrowed," I replied, having got the tones wrong. "He said 'yes' ", my assistant replied in a tired voice. They were amazed. No white man, at this time, had ever been known to touch beer. Seizing a calabash, they proceeded to wash it out in deference to my exotic sensibilities. They did this by offering it to a dog to lick out. Dowayo dogs are not beautiful at the best of times; this one was particularly loathsome, emaciated, open wounds on its ears where flies feasted, huge distended ticks hanging from its belly. It licked the calabash with relish. It was refilled and passed to me. Everyone regarded me, beaming expectantly. There was nothing to be done; I drained it and gasped out my enjoyment. Several more calabashes followed.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Anthropology of Beer, Nigel Barley, 1995
The narrator describes a cultural misunderstanding where his attempt to join a local drinking ritual leads to an unsettling experience involving a dog drinking from a calabash, highlighting the clash between outsider expectations and local customs.
In simple terms: A foreigner tries to drink local beer and ends up with a dog‑drunk cup, showing cultural clash.
Key Takeaway
Respect local customs and ask before participating.
Themes
cultural misunderstanding
rituals
colonialism
humor
Mood
embarrassment
amusement
reflection
Type
anecdotal
humorous
cautionary
When to use this quote
- travel
- cross‑cultural encounters
- social gatherings
- food and drink rituals
Key Concepts
anthropology
ethnocentrism
ritual purity
Questions to Reflect On
- How might you prepare for unfamiliar customs?
- What assumptions did the narrator bring?
A Different Perspective
The anecdote may romanticize the exotic and overlook power dynamics of colonial encounters.
![“Anthropology has always struggled with an intense, fascinated repulsion towards its subject… [The anthropologist] submits himself to the exotic to confirm his own inner alienation as an urban intellectual.” quote by Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/fe1/susan-sontag-332_alienation_anthropology-has-always-struggled-with-a_15322.jpg)
