Is the freedom of a kava-drinking lifestyle working its way into political circles? Perhaps! Former First Minister Rhodri Morgan has recently had an encounter with his first kava bar and he seems to have thoroughly enjoyed it and recommends that all should try kava.
Morgan served as MP of Cardiff West since 1987 and has since become AM for the same constituency. He later became the leader of Welsh Labor, as well as the First Minister in 2000 – having held that position until 2009. Morgan is now a columnist for the Western Mail where he writes about his life, politics, and everything in between – even kava!
He was visiting Austin, Texas during October to visit plants involved in the shale boom industries and developments as well as the Department of Aging and Disability – these seem to be uncorrelated adventures, perhaps just interest based? Either way, he states that there is a shale gas and oil boom that has several graduates in the industry set up for good jobs when they’re out of school. And another seemingly unrelated positive for Austin is that it doesn’t have the “Welsh Problem” according to Morgan, meaning that the state doesn’t have an overly high populous of elderly folk. The connection? Maybe Austin is the place to go for young ambitious students? I’m not too sure to be honest.
But, one other positive for Austin — and youth in Austin – is its kava-loving culture! As Morgan mentions, there is a kava bar in Austin that likes to keep tradition rich, complete with “Kavaristas” and all! The only kava bar that I know of in Austin is SquareRüt Kava bar, a kava bar that has culturally active owners who just opened up a second location in Austin. Unless there’s another bar that I’m unaware of, then I am fairly certain SquareRüt is the kava-loving business that Morgan is referring to. We’re certainly glad to see that they’re doing so well and successfully spreading the joy of kava!
While there seems to be a bit of misinformation regarding kava within Morgan’s article – he nonetheless sheds a positive light on the kava-drinking community of Austin, Texas. He recommends that his readers “go for the kava!” and “pretend you’re celebrating a wedding in Fiji!” Reportedly that’s just exactly how he went about his kava-drinking experience and it seems to have been a worthy experience.
The misinformation lays within one brief statement he makes at the beginning of his article, stating that a kava bar experience could only happen in Texas – and yet kava bars can be found all over the United States and in other parts of the world too! So, don’t you worry Morgan and Morgan’s readers – the love of kava is to be found in many states, not just Texas. However, he does mention that there will be a kava bar opening in St. David’s Centre in the middle of Cardiff, so perhaps he didn’t mean the statement about “only in Austin” all that literally – but either way, I just wanted to clear up that point and make sure all are well aware that kava can be had far and wide.
Oy! I certainly hope Mr. Morgan is correct about the kava bar opening in Cardiff – another kava bar in the UK is certainly a move in the right direction. I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled for the official media launch and will let you, my dear readers, know just as soon as I know if and when this fun rumor is true! Let the joy of kava continue to spread and the bars continue to multiply!
Source:
Morgan, Rhodri. Wales Online, Oct 31, 2014: http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/news-opinion/rhodri-morgan-the-shale-boom-8030557