"Goat Grabs" and "Qat Chews" in Sana'a

by LTC Steve Gotowicki, 48G, USA (Retired)

One of four dining halls.
One of the rather unique experiences granted to officers serving in the Defense Attaché Office in Sana'a, Republic of Yemen is attending the frequent "goat grabs" and "qat chews." The goat grabs were the official lunches attended. Lunches in Yemen tend to be rather large scale events with goat, lamb, chicken, fish, shrimp, lobster, rice, massive quantities of pita bread, and a plethora of local vegetables offered. Attendees could number anywhere between 15 and 1,500. The goat grab was usually followed by the Qat (pronounced GOT) chew.

Dig in! No silverware allowed.
The event from where the pictures used in this article were taken was the wedding celebration for the two sons of a senior army general officer. Conservatively, 1,500 guests were invited concurrently. Picture one shows the prepared lunch spread in only one of four such large lunch rooms.

Usually, immediately after lunch, the Qat chew would begin. The chewing of Qat is an interesting and perplexing phenomena of Yemen. Almost every afternoon of the year beginning around 1300 hours, Yemeni men gather with their friends and associates to chew Qat. Qat is usually chewed in a special room known as a mafrage which has cushions lining the walls. If duty prevents going to a mafrage with friends, Qat can be chewed at the duty site such as traffic checkpoints, in the office, or in the cockpit for pilots. Qat chews normally last all afternoon until 1700 hours, but frequently continue until 2100 hours or so.

Qat are the leaves and shoots from a small tree grown in Yemen. Qat is the number one cash crop in Yemen and is exported to Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia and Eritrea in the Horn of Africa. It is also fairly popular in Saudi Arabia, but illegal. A Qat grower can usually make two harvests of Qat from his trees in a year. Qat must be exported quickly in that its effect will only last for about 24 hours after being picked.

The Qat leaves are what is chewed and the new shoots are considered prime. The leaves are chewed a couple of times and then deposited in a cheek from where the juices will flow. After a couple hours of chewing, the cheeks of some Yemeni men will expand out to the size of tennis balls.

An Air Force Colonel
Qat is considered an alkaloid. Its effects have been compared to drinking eight or nine cups of very, very strong coffee in fifteen minutes. Qat generally induces the Yemeni to relax and encourages discussion of the important issues in life such as politics, sports, and life in general. Yemeni men believe that Qat enhances their mental abilities and gives them the power of a lion in their sexual performance. The Yemeni women we have talked to have said this latter contention is certainly untrue. Women too, less frequently get together to chew Qat as well. Yemeni men do not consider Qat addictive. One gentleman told me that he had been chewing Qat every day for 32 years and he could assure me it wasn't addictive.

A medium sized baggie of acceptable quality qat (there are many quality standards, usually based on the Qat's source. The higher qualities being much more expensive) costs about $5.00. We in the DAO were never quite able to figure the math on this issue. The average annual income for the standard Mohammed on the streets of Yemen was $240 a year -- about a month and a half's Qat consumption -- and yet most men chewed all year long and still had to support families. The best we could figure, the more affluent Yemenis bought most of the Qat for their poorer friends. One has to imagine that Qat chewing would have a negative impact on
One of four mafrages used
Yemen's economy with most businesses closing, or significantly slowing down, for four or five hours a day. There have been calls to reduce or stop chewing Qat, but to date they have had little impact. In 1999, the President of the Republic of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Salih, declared that he was going to cut back his Qat chewing to only two days a week. In its place, he intended to participate in more sporting activities and learn how to use a computer. The President's declaration had little impact.

Qat used to be widely available to the large Arab population of Detroit, Michigan. But, a number of years ago, the United States Government declared Qat to be a Class C narcotic and made it illegal. This restriction has caused some problems for the Defense Attaché System. According to U.S. laws, Qat was illegal, but Qat chews were an integral and important part of attaché duties in Yemen. Qat chews provided the attachés extensive, close access to senior government and military officials and provided an excellent venue for information collection. The Defense Attaché System adopted what amounts to a "Don't ask, Don't tell" policy with its attaches in Yemen.

As the Defense Attaché in the Republic of Yemen, I attended many goat grabs and Qat chews, and found them to be excellent opportunities for information collection on politics, social conditions, and other important issues. Throughout all of my Qat chews, including one seven hour session, the Qat never had a noticeable effect on me -- perhaps because I was focused so intensely on the information collection aspect.

Unquestionably, events such as the goat grabs and Qat chews are what make the duties of the attaché such an interesting, enjoyable and enriching experience. I am thrilled to have had the experiences. To get the opportunity to have such experiences, you have to be a Foreign Area Officer!!!

2001, Foreign Area Officer Association
Springfield, Virginia
Maintained by LTC Steve Gotowicki.
http://www.faoa.org