Colombians love to drink. Beer, rum and aguardiente are the favourites, but they will probably swig most anything put in front of them. They drink at bars, clubs, at home. But the most uniquely Colombian-and perhaps most endearing- place to have a tipple is the local tienda.
Tienda simply means shop, and although it may not seem the most obvious place to imbibe, it has a certain charm to it. Some tiendas have a little room behind the main shop, but more common is a plastic table and chairs, right next to the toilet paper and sweets, or on the sidewalk outside. Some may have a TV, showing any football or telenovela that is on. One even had a video jukebox in a corner. Many a husband picking up milk and bread from the shop must have had some explaining to do after being lured into a cerveza or two by a Shakira video.
Most of the time, tiendas wouldn’t be the scene for extended drinking sessions (which isn’t to say it doesn’t happen). It’s just a place to relax and have a couple of cold ones and catch up on neighbourhood gossip. The close proximity of chairs and tables invite interaction between patrons. Coupled with the usual warmth of Colombian people, it’s almost impossible to leave without having made a new friend (no matter how awkward one’s Spanish).
Typically they’re male-dominated, but there’s no unease if women arrive. In especially small towns, they may be the centre of social life on weekends. One of my most memorable tienda experiences came in Cartagena. We were returning home from a night out with Cath’s sister, Sue, and her partner, Sam, along with my friend Timmy. It must have been close to three or so in the morning, so no doubt we were ready for bed in our rented apartment. Somehow, though (and if I’m honest I can’t remember exactly how it happened) we ended up with some new amigos outside a tiny shop around the corner from our place. We were not sitting very long before we saw Sam being whirled around in the middle of the street. A particularly enthusiastic teacher was showing her the finer points of Colombian salsa, and Sam was proving to be a willing- if giggly- student.
Tiendas encapsulate everything that is good about drinking in Colombia. Sometimes impromptu dancing may break out, or, at worst, an incredibly bad karaoke version of La Bamba may ring out (okay, that one was me). But more than anything, it is an opportunity to get together with friends, enjoy each other’s company and have a good time. And nothing is more Colombian than that.
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