Addicted to miseryQat is a waste of time and money [Archives:2005/812/Community]

By Abdulwahab Al Sofi
[email protected]
Hodeidah
For the Yemen Times
Today is bad. It is really bad, a man said. It doesn't deserve to come here today. Noting is there to buy. It is only for goats today. Another one replies angrily, despite that it is very expensive. Something is worrisome, He added. One shouted, we want Qat for eating, chewing, not for the opposite. What can we do? Where do we go? There is no good Qat.

Other passes by us without any comment. They seemed to be absentminded. They are incapable of giving disappointment as if they were caught by catastrophe. Qat was not good and not enough available.

Misery, melancholy and frowns are read on their faces. This weird debates happened at the entrance of Qat market. In fact I was powerfully impressed, so that I stood up there among the swarm of people who were entering and coming out at the entrance of the market.

They are like ants looking for their food. Unlike, people were looking for Qat instead of their food. Although this panorama made me laugh I was very sad and hopeless. I was laughing because, I was looking at confusing people in Qat market changed into waifs and strays.

They woo to Qat sellers to gain their satisfaction for getting a small bundle of Qat. I was sad and hopeless; because I realized that we were extremely inflicted by these green pastures. People adhere to buy a bundle of Qat before thinking of their family's food.

They pay YR 1000 or more for a small bundle of Qat which is finished three hours later. Moreover, this amount does double three times during Eid's holidays. This really whets our soul. In my opinion, I believe that it is difficult to stop chewing Qat, but the most difficult, is how to get rid of this bad tree in our country.

Those people who could buy a bundle of Qat were smiling and optimistic. They give a salute and wide smile to each other and directly go home. Their hard problems are solved as soon as they start chew Qat.

On the contrary, people who come back without Qat, but with frown face are certainly sad and even angry. It is strange to see sad people can not buy Qat, but the strangest is to see them refuse going home without Qat.

Not only has this, but also some people sit down in the market for hours waiting for an incoming fresh Qat. They do not convince to buy an available Qat in the market. It is believed among Qat eating's people that expensive Qat is produced to lofty manhood and good esteemed people.

Therefore, many persons are devoted to chew expensive Qat. They do not only prefer to buy expensive Qat, but also they boast of chewing the best one. It is not the matter that person has afforded the day food for his family, the matter is to save Qat cost first. At one o'clock, the Qat market in which swarm of people coexists is full of many kinds of Qat. In Hodeidah province, there are many kinds of Qats. Two of these, called Shami and Thihla Qat, are the best.

The former is brought from Al Sham Mountain in the west north of the country in Al Mahabisha area In Hajjah governorate. The later is the second type which comes from the middle high land in Yemen. These two kinds of Qat that are often bought by rich people are the most expensive.

A small bundle of Qat may cost YR 5000 where as, the other kinds which are usually bought by ordinary people, are also adequate. It costs between YR 300 and YR 1000.

Simply I can say that Qat destroys the native Yemeni person's income. This is aside from being it causes many diseases to human beings such as liver virus and it loses the appetite.

This is because Qat is always blended with insecticides sprayed during growing.

Finally, whatever people say to justify chewing Qat, it is harmful for health.

It also affects people income and wastes time and money.
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