Not You Average Jo

By Rob Madore

It began simply enough. Your friendly local mechanic would chat with you while he changed your oil or replaced a brake pad. His English was as broken as your Chinese, but he was a likeable guy and you managed to cover the basics over a few visits to his shop. He’s 28, single and lives with his family. He smokes and chews betel nut at the same time. He likes beer and pretty girls. Standard stuff really. Each time you popped by with a problem or in need of maintenance he asked when you will join him and his friends for a drink. Each time you made vague promises of a future evening, to which he responded with a hearty pat on the back. As he began to do little repairs for free, your guilt at evading his kind invitations grew and grew. Finally, you could evade him and your conscience no longer and you accepted his offer for that very evening after work.

As good as your word, you showed up after your evening classes, tired but willing enough to put back a few beers in the interest of cross-cultural rapport. His motley group of pals hunkered down on brightly colored plastic stools strewn about the shop’s interior, their red-stained teeth grinning at their new foreigner drinking companion. Unsure of what to do, you all smiled at one another idiotically while your mechanic did a round of Chinese introductions, leaving you without a clue as to anyone’s name by the end of it. Inwardly you winced at how awkward this was going to be, knowing full well it was impossible to escape the situation gracefully at that point. Several large Taiwan beers were quickly opened, and laughably small measures poured out in tacky pink plastic cups. Ganbei was said by all, the cups emptied and just as quickly refilled. After several repetitions of this routine, alcohol, that magical social lubricant began to work its charms.

Gradually it did not matter that you did not share a common language. The camaraderie of drinking took effect and you were all true friends, exchanging laughter and broad smiles. The evening was beginning to look up and you were secretly proud of yourself for being so culturally magnanimous. The drinking continued for over an hour, eventually acquiring a slightly aggressive tone as each man tried to outdo his neighbor in downing yet another thimble-sized portion of beer. Finally, the beer began to run out and a bottle of clear alcohol was produced in its stead. You had no idea what it was, with its simple Chinese covered white label, but it seemed harmless enough. The clear fluid was poured into the now emptied beer cups with a certain degree of ceremony and exaggeration. The men before you gave you encouraging thumbs up signals as you tentatively raised the cup to your lips. “Ganbei!!” was the shout from the mechanic and his crew as you all tossed back the new drink with gusto.

A burning fire snaked its way down your throat to the pit of your stomach. You gave an involuntary cough in protest to the effect of the pain but also the taste. It was a terrible combination of paint thinner and rubbing alcohol, or at least that’s what you imagined the combination to taste like. A few good natured chuckles at your expense were made as these men were well accustomed to this form of poison. Your eyes widened in terror as yet another round of the stuff was measured out: No!! That’s roughly where your recollection of the night left off. You have limited pockets of memories clustered in the hazy recesses of your mind: vainly trying to refuse more, stumbling into your apartment at 2 AM, raiding the kitchen for anything to combat the deadening aftertaste of the foul drink. . .  Waking up the next morning fully clothed a full two hours late for work, you wonder what had happened and what on earth you had been drinking the night before. The answer was Kaoliang.

Many of you may have been introduced to Kaoliang in a similar way and with similar effects. Although fairly unique to Taiwan and parts of China, Kaoliang as a concept is far more common throughout the world. Each country has found ways of cheap fermentation of various products, from potatoes to rice to cashews, to produce alcohol that is both potent and harsh. Men have always delighted in producing and consuming such challenging liquors to prove their manhood and anesthetize their senses. Over time such drinks have become wrapped up in rich traditions and rites of passage. For Taiwan, Kaoliang has evolved as a cheap form of intoxication, but also refined by some companies as a fine drink to be savored and appreciated as a connoisseur.

Kaoliang is made from fermented red sorghum, a form of grain, and has an alcohol percentage ranging from 50 to 65%. In general, the production process can be divided into 3 stages: Ferment-making, Fermentation and distillation and Packaging. Factories typically use locally grown sorghum and follow a process of milling, then combining the grain with water to make concentrated bricks. The bricks are then soaked, steamed and cooled and go through a double round of fermentation and distillation. Finally the resulting product is left in a cellar for six months to remove unpleasant flavors from the mash.

Traditionally, Kaoliang has been produced on the islands of Matsu and Kinmen, with some major labels making a diverse line of products. The Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor Company is one such leading producer of Kaoliang, with a rich and lengthy history. The distillery was initially established by the Fukien Provincial government in mainland China and later relocated to Kinmen when the government moved to Taiwan in 1956. The company, then called the “Kinmen Distillery,” was a government run monopoly for many years until it was privatized decades later. Today, the Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor Company is an international producer of Kaoliang and proud of its many products, some of which range up to $6000 NT such as a collector’s edition series celebrating the president’s inauguration.

Why not visit the Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor Company it person and treat yourself to a fun and informative distillery tour at its beautifully appointed headquarters on Kinmen Island? The tour even includes a small museum detailing the history of Kaoliang, as well as a shop to taste its finest products and even pick a bottle or two up for family and friends. The island of Kinmen itself is a popular weekend tourist destination for many Taiwanese. Although part of a historically heavily disputed island chain between mainland China and Taiwan, Kinmen is now open to visitors from both countries while remaining under the official control of Taiwan. The small island boasts a fantastic national park famous for the traditional architecture of its numerous temples, museums and well preserved residences. Enjoy the beauty of its coastal views combined with quaint remains of its military history such as the abundance of souvenirs fashioned from old artillery shells. Hopefully you’ll come back from your little island adventure armed with a new appreciation for the beauty and culture of Taiwan and a better understanding of Kaoliang, but without the hangover.