Issue date: 3/2/10 Section: Opinions

Media Credit: www.clarocet.com Kava root.

The Current,

After reading the article on Hookah places, I realized that the NSU community may be unaware of another alternative -Kava Bars. The Ft. Lauderdale area now sports two - one off of Sunrise and A1A, the other on Hollywood Blvd off of Dixie.

The newest is the one in Holly-wood, and is called Mystic Water. It was started by a former Kava Wahini at the other Kava Bar which used to be called Kahuna Awa (had a Myspace website), but is under new ownership since the start of the year and is called the Fiji Kava Bar, I think. The decor is different now than it was. I don't know if the atmosphere is different.

Kava is a root-based tea from the Pacific islands. It is non-alcoholic, but it does have very effective stress relieving qualities, and tends to make you more sociable. As such, although a lone person can go there and become VERY destressed, it lends itself to group experiences. It doesn't taste particularly good, but that is not why you drink it. You drink it for the relaxing effect and the sociable communal experience - and because you may meet a few unique persons that you may not ordinarily come across. Kava Bars tend to attract the Offbeat folk, artists, thinkers, spiratualists, etc. An open mind is a must - and generally pays off.

The website for Mystic Water is: www.thekavabar.com. I don't know what the other one is for Fiji, since it tuned over at the start of the year.

The one thing about the Mystic Water site is you have to click all the links and look around for the info on location and times etc in unexpected places - it's still rough.

The Proprietors: Holland is the former long-time Wahini at Kahuna Awa and can fill you in on the Kava experience, as can Avi who seems to have quite a bit of knowledge of the physical properties and history of Kava.

I got introduced to Kava through an excursion by Oceanographic Center students to the then new Kahuna Awa about four years ago and it stuck for a number of us.

Just a Thought for Something Different,

Christopher Jordan
NSU Oceanographic Center
Candidate MS Marine Biology/Marine Environmental Science

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