Who, what, or where am I? #27

Question

I've been eating bananas, wearing bananawood jewelry, creating bananapaper art, ....... pfffff ..... time for a rest ....

and what better place to rest than the beach?
But I barely sat here for 1 second or this man showed up. The first of many people who want to sell me something.

The question this time is: Where am I and what is this man trying to sell me?

No immediate googling, please Must be somebody out there who knows it.
And if not: you can always ask me yes/sí/no-questions, like we did before.

(My question to this man is: "Do I really look as if I need this much of it?")

You have a very inquizative mind to keep finding these challenges. - gringojrf, Mar 21, 2012

Thank you ;-) - mcl020, Mar 21, 2012

Answer 1

Cuba? And he´s trying to sell you..dried banana peels? Or banana-infused vodka?

hahaha the banana again. It seems that it's used for almost everything. ;) got to vote for this - shama807, Mar 21, 2012

But it's not banana! And it's not Cuba either. - mcl020, Mar 21, 2012

Answer 2

Is it used for cleaning something?

No, is it not known for that purpose. - mcl020, Mar 21, 2012

Is it good for health? - shama807, Mar 21, 2012

Yes, supposedly.But too much of it can be bad. - mcl020, Mar 21, 2012

Answer 3

is it a drink?

Yes, it is a drink. Although you hardly see any fluid material. - mcl020, Mar 21, 2012

Answer 4

Is it a type of tree bark?

It looks like it. :D - cheskasullivan, Mar 21, 2012

It is all sort of plant parts, amongst which treebark. - mcl020, Mar 21, 2012

Ahh.... well then..... I must keep thinking. :) - 00cdfbd9, Mar 21, 2012

That's alright, as long as you don't let it interfere with your poetic thinking ;-)))))) - mcl020, Mar 21, 2012

I mean to say: I do like your poems! - mcl020, Mar 21, 2012

Thank you! :) - 00cdfbd9, Mar 21, 2012

Answer 5

Is it medicine?

I've seen all kinds of weird bottled stuff being sold around Asia. Most of them are "meds" though. I'm not sure if it's the same in Latin America.

Ehhh ..... first and foremost it is a drink. But these beachsellers (where, what country is the question of course) have to make their living, so the drink is also promoted for its beneficial effects on your health (apparently it is a cure all). - mcl020, Mar 21, 2012

Hm, so it's a drink that cures.. I don't see a lot of liquid. More like chopped tree barks in wine bottles. Heheh.. Is it wine? - cheskasullivan, Mar 21, 2012

I hope you didnt read what I just now deleted, because: yes, wine is indeed part of this drink. And it tastes like wine and is also of a 'winish' deep-red color. - mcl020, Mar 21, 2012

Unfortunately for me (fortunately for you. lol), I haven't. And I doubt if I will know the answer if it's native in LA. :p - cheskasullivan, Mar 21, 2012

Those bottles are just empty bottles that can be used for putting these ingredients in. There's no telling what it is from the shape of these bottles. - mcl020, Mar 21, 2012

Yes, I can see the label. It says Carlo Rossi. It's a popular wine brand from the US. Obviously, that's not the answer. Ni idea. - cheskasullivan, Mar 21, 2012

Answer 6

Is he from Nicaragua or Honduras?

No. He is not from Nicaragua, neither from Honduras. - mcl020, Mar 21, 2012

Answer 7

Well, the answer the question to where you are, well duh, you're at the beach!

As for what this man is trying to sell you, its like woody, barky stuff that makes rum! Thankfully I studied that in school!

Unfortunately, I don't remember where its made, so yeah. At least I sorta answered it! Sorta.....

Good for you, and rum is indeed part of this drink. But it is not extracted from these pieces of tree bark. - mcl020, Mar 21, 2012

Answer 8

Here's a helpful hint:

It's not Haiti, but ......

It looks like Dominican Republic. Haiti should be on the left. But I still don't know the name of the drink. Hah! =P - cheskasullivan, Mar 24, 2012

But ..... I have said: no ImMediate googling and that was days ago ;-) You could also wait for the big revelation later this evening. - mcl020, Mar 24, 2012

And Dominican Republic is correct. - mcl020, Mar 24, 2012

Answer 9

¿Es Belice?

No, no es Belice. - mcl020, Mar 23, 2012

Answer 10

New hints:

[1] In pre-Columbian times the herbs used for this drink were used to prepare a herbal tea and much later in time, post-Columbus, alcohol was added to the recipe.

[2] The name of this drink refers to the bottle/container originally used to prepare and store it in: a large squat bottle with a short narrow neck, usually covered in wicker.

Answer 11

Time for some additional information:

We are looking for a drink, a drink with tree bark chops, wine and rum in it. But it is also sold in a do-it-yourself version, and that is what our friend on the beach is selling. Much easier to carry for him.

Here you buy a bottle and its ingredients, but you need to take care of the curing and maceration process yourself.
The ready-to-drink version is a finished product which has undergone the complete process and is filtered and bottled afterwards.

The drink and country are often associated with each other; though they do know this drink in other Latin American countries.

Answer 12

This man is trying to sell me the most famous, indigenous drink of the Dominican Republic: mamajuana a.k.a. damajuana.
Mamajuana is a drink from the Dominican Republic that is concocted by allowing rum, red wine, and honey to soak in a bottle with tree bark and herbs. The taste is quite similar to port wine and the color is a deep red.
The specific herbs that make up mamajuana were originally prepared as an herbal tea by the native Taino Indians and much later in time, post-Columbus, alcohol was added to the recipe.

Some claim that it is a cure-all, others that it is an aphrodisiac for men, but most of all it is a drink. You can drink it straight or with fruit juice or as you would use rum in a cocktail.

Authorities warm tourists not to buy the mamajuana with shell fish that is sold at the beach, as there have been strong allergic reactions. The safest mamajuana are the ready-to-drink ones.

There are many different variations of recipes to make Mamajuana, since the name refers to the container/bottle originally used to prepare and store the maceration, rather than to the finished product itself.

Mamajuana is commercialized in 2 ways
- A d-i-y-version: a bottle or bag with the ingredients. You need to take care of the curing and maceration process yourself.
- Ready-to-drink: a finished product which has undergone the complete process and afterwards it is filtered and bottled.

Here is a youtube-clip on how to make mamajuana.