Roleplaying flavour and guide to Iraq in 2011

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Icelander

What is the culture like with regard to alcohol and drug use?

Alcohol is of course, religiously proscribed. Cigarette smoking is widespread, much more than in the US. Caffeine is widely consumed, as noted earlier with the chai.

How widespread is drinking? How stigmatised is it among ordinary Iraqis?

Seems heavily stigmatized.

Is alcohol sold in local stores?

Not in Al Anbar, as far as I know. I believe there were some nightclubs in Baghdad that were permitted to serve alcohol and there seems to be some provision for Iraqi Christians to import wine for communion.

Does anyone have any idea what kind of alcohol is most subject to smuggling or black market sale?

The interpreters always wanted us to get them whiskey. I'm not sure if that's because they wanted whiskey in particular, it had better resale value, or if that's the only distilled beverage they know the name of. We didn't have any whiskey to give them, of course (even if we had somehow smuggled some in-country, which of course we didn't, we would have been mostly smart enough to not let them know about it).

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

Alcohol is of course, religiously proscribed. Cigarette smoking is widespread, much more than in the US. Caffeine is widely consumed, as noted earlier with the chai.

There's proscribed and then there's proscribed... :)

For example, Christianity technically forbids the eating of shellfood, homosexual acts between men and women speaking in council. In practice, though, the citizens of most Christian countries are overwhelmingly a bunch of oyster-eating queers firmly under the thumb of loudly outspoken women. :)

In the 80s, it was certainly the case that Kuwaits were driving over to secular, sinful Iraq for a weekend of partying in Basra or Baghdad nightclubs and coming back with their cars stuffed with cases of whiskey, champagne or vodka.

But with a bit of research, I see that Saddam's new born-again religious image after his Stalin-esque landgrab didn't work out for him caused him to crack down a bit on the public drinking and sinfulness in 1993. The current regime is not all that in favour of alcohol use, either (and the various extremist militias tend to be worse, of course), but it's not completely outlawed where al-Maliki's writ runs.

I recall reading a biographical book set in Baghad in the 2003-2006 era, where there was an awful lot of partying. Of course, the author was a war/danger zone journalist, who are not famous for their abstinence.

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

Seems heavily stigmatized.

So it seems.

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

Not in Al Anbar, as far as I know. I believe there were some nightclubs in Baghad that were permitted to serve alcohol and there seems to be some provision for Iraqi Christians to import wine for communion.

There appear to still be liquour stores in Baghad and probably Basra (though I haven't found confirmation of that latter). Edit: Confirmed that a range of liqour stores exist in Basra.

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

The interpreters always wanted us to get them whiskey. I'm not sure if that's because they wanted whiskey in particular, it had better resale value, or if that's the only distilled beverage they know the name of. We didn't have any whiskey to give them, of course (even if we had somehow smuggled some in-country, which of course we didn't, we would have been mostly smart enough to not let them know about it).

I discover that the local brand is Arak, a liquor which is known by many similar names in many countries, but which is usually reliably awful. There is also a local clear-coloured moonshine, charmingly refered to by a US serviceman in a newsreport as 'hajji juice'.

Whiskey is indeed very popular, with an imported cheap brand from India being as cheap as the local Arak ($2 a fifth) and the most popular and more expensive kinds being American whiskey. Jack Daniel's is a reliable seller. Jordianian whiskey brands Grand, Black Jack and Royal Home are also $2 a fifth.

Johnny Walker Black Label scotch is the most expensive kind of drink you can get in Baghdad, it seems, for $28 a bottle.

These brands are stocked at the Diplomatic Duty Free shop in Baghdad:

•B&G
•Baileys
•Bells
•Black & White
•Bombay Sapphire
•Captain Morgan
•Castle
•Coors
•Corona
•Crown Royal
•Dimple
•Gordons
•Haig
•Heineken
•J+B
•John Smith
•Johnnie Walker
•Macdonalds
•Newcastle
•Smirnoff
•Strongbow
•Vat 69
•White Horse

This is probably a fairly representative list of what local elites like to get as gifts. Of course, the Jordani and Indian whiskey brands, local Arak and Turkish beer are probably selling better to the average Iraqi who drinks, because the imported name brands are almost an order of magnitude more expensive.

I was wondering about this because of a potential NPC, an enterpreneur who, among other things, back in 2005-2006, used to supply Australian soldiers with alcohol in exchange for things they could get him from the base PX (probably American cigarettes and suchlike).

[Icelander]

How has the war affected bedu in Iraq and bordering countries who still retain a nomadic lifestyle?

Are there any significant numbers of such Bedouin tribes left?

Do any live in the Iraqi desert?

And about the desert, how practical is it to avoid road check-points by simply driving off a road and navigate through the desert for an extra 300-400 miles, carrying lots of extra fuel and supplies?

[Peter Knutsen]

Originally Posted by Icelander

I discover that the local brand is Arak, a liquor which is known by many similar names in many countries, but which is usually reliably awful. There is also a local clear-coloured moonshine, charmingly refered to by a US serviceman in a newsreport as 'hajji juice'.

ISTR to recall having read that Arak is anise-flavoured. Probably read that in my favourite Desmond Bagley novels. English Wikipedia confirms this. So it's similar to beverages such as Ouzo (or what I know as "Pernod"), which you or some of your players may be familiar with.

In general, the more underground alcohol is, the greater the risk that the distilled stuff contains methanol (which I imagine that religious prohibitionists will claim to be divine punishment), so that might be a genuine problem in fundie-controlled areas of Iraq.

But why do they call the moonshine "hajji juice"? I don't see the etymology...

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by Peter Knutsen

But why do they call the moonshine "hajji juice"? I don't see the etymology...

It appears that US troops in Iraq took to calling all Iraqis "hajji". So it just means "Iraqi local alcohol."

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by Peter Knutsen

ISTR to recall having read that Arak is anise-flavoured. Probably read that in my favourite Desmond Bagley novels. English Wikipedia confirms this. So it's similar to beverages such as Ouzo (or what I know as "Pernod"), which you or some of your players may be familiar with.

Levantine arak is anise-flavoured, while Indonesian/Indian arak/arrack is a wholly different drink.

I've tried such anis liquors as raki, ouzo and mastika; not to mention anis liquers like anís, sambuca, pastis, Pernod, Galliano and Aguardiente. Absinthe obviously includes a lot of other flavourings, but has a strong anis taste as well.

Most of my players will have tasted raki and ouzo, at least.

Originally Posted by Peter Knutsen

In general, the more underground alcohol is, the greater the risk that the distilled stuff contains methanol (which I imagine that religious prohibitionists will claim to be divine punishment), so that might be a genuine problem in fundie-controlled areas of Iraq.

That could be. Also, liqors shops are bombed or subjected to drive-by shootings.

Originally Posted by Peter Knutsen

But why do they call the moonshine "hajji juice"? I don't see the etymology...

Originally Posted by johndallman

It appears that US troops in Iraq took to calling all Iraqis "hajji". So it just means "Iraqi local alcohol."

As johndallman says, it's related to the US term for insurgent/militant/religious fundamentalist/any local.

One of the players wanted to name the half-Indian son of his PC Hadji, because apparently he doesn't know any Indian names not derived from Johnny Quest. Due to the unfortunate connotations this would have in the modern era, he changed it to Ajit.

[Peter Knutsen]

Originally Posted by Icelander

One of the players wanted to name the half-Indian son of his PC Hadji, because apparently he doesn't know any Indian names not derived from Johnny Quest. Due to the unfortunate connotations this would have in the modern era, he changed it to Ajit.

I think Moslems that have performed the pilgrimage are allowed to add some form of "Hajj" to their names. And Iraq isn't that far from Saudi Arabia, so it's not an overly expensive or time-consuming thing to do. That makes it accessible to a wider range of people (GURPS Status 1 and upwards, whereas in a place like modern Tunesia it might be accesible only to Status 3 upwards) and also means that it's something done not only by fanatics but also by more ordinary believers.

But it would never be a name change, it would be more like a "name expansion". According to "GURPS Arabian Nights" after a pilgrimage the Moslem may wear a green head cloth, but that could well be a medieval thing. It certainly is a thing in my Ärth setting, but I don't know how closely that custom is followed in the present day Moslem world.

Moslems are still fond of green, though. In Iran the protesters against the previous president often used green flags, and some sort of green symbolism should probably be present in Iraq too. But it's notable that IS(IS) uses a black flag. I'd imagine green is more likely to be associated with a calmer, more folksy, less aggressive Islam. But I don't know how or how often green is actually used in Iraq today, or how strong its symbolism remains. Perhaps Sir Pudding does?

[sir_pudding]

I have often wondered if the generic use of "haji" was a misguided attempt to replace more offensive appellations* with something that is technically an honorific, by public affairs personnel that has just gotten out of hand.

*Such as those involving sand, camels, or towels.

[Icelander]

The PC in question is an Australian married to a naturalised Australian of Indian (Kerala) descent. The player proposed 'Hadji' as a name without realising that any connection with a specific religion. As noted above, a character that is a caricature of an Indian prince on the TV show 'Johnny Quest' is named Hadji and the player did not know any other Indian names.

After making use of Google, that was remedied and the PC now has three beautiful children named Sarah (for the PC's mother), Ajit and Nanda.

Of course, they will only be featured in the campaign through the PC's periodic Skype calls home to talk to them and their mother, but it's important to get those little details right.

[Icelander]

During the first session, my players quickly picked up that the gold standard of car trunk diplomacy was a bottle of Johnny Walker Black Label, at least if you could be reasonably sure that the recipient was fairly secular in habits and relaxed in his religious views toward intoxicants.

When you couldn't, a few packs or even a carton of cigarettes was a more value-neutral gifts. I've guesstimated that value depends heavily on brand awareness. Marlboro is more valuable than Benson & Hedges to someone who has seen Marlboro ads, but doesn't know Benson & Hedges.

That being said, though, I have a very poor grasp of the relative prestige of various brands of cigarettes even in my own country, as they all taste like cardboard filled with sawdust to me.* I have no idea what cigarette brands would really be sought-after in Iraq.

At least two of the PCs should, however, and it's a nice detail to drop in for versimilitude. So, what are other cigarettes that may be expensive or hard-to-find in Iraqi stores, but are media-saturated enough so that they'll be known and valued even so?

What else can you give locals to earn brownie points? One PC brought candy bars from home, mostly Cadbury Picknic, Crunchie or Cherrie Ripe Bars. Are there any sweets or chocolates that are especially popular in Iraq? Any imports that are hard to get, but nonetheless sought after?

What else can you carry around to give to locals you meet in your work, that is inoffensive, widely desired and can be acquired more easily or inexpensively through United States Forces - Iraq PX stores or by ordering through the US Embassy?

*I'll smoke a pipe occasionally, even the odd cigar a couple of times a year, but I'm not really a smoker.