Interlude | Oleh Oleh
There are five police officers gathered around my research assistant Amanda and me. We are at the regional police station in Manado, North Sulawesi, answering questions that foreigners are often asked: Where are you from? What are you doing in Manado? Where do you live? Are you married? How many children do you have? The room smells of clove cigarettes, and everyone is in uniform except for us. We take a seat and wait for the census data we’ve requested and come to collect.
As I begin to explain the new focus of my research, Cap Tikus, one of the officers interrupts and asks, “Have you ever tried it?”
My answer, “Yes,” triggers smiles and laughter.
“Oh, good! Did you like it?”
“What types have you tried?"
“Have you seen how it is made?”
I answer the officers’ questions and am soon given the data I came for. The young, male officer who collected it for me tells me that Cap Tikus is illegal.
“Illegal?” I ask.
I’ve never heard this before and no doubt look confused. It’s illegal, he clarifies, but not if only a little is consumed and no problems are caused. The young man then explains the difference between what he considers to be acceptable Cap Tikus drinking (drinking at home) and the unacceptable variety (drinking in the street).
Another officer interrupts his colleague to ask if I will be bringing Cap Tikus back to the Netherlands as oleh-oleh (a local souvenir).
“Oh no,” I joke. “I don’t want to get caught by police officers like you.”
They laugh and take turns assuring me that “just one bottle” isn’t a problem. “At the airport, just say that you want to bring it home as oleh-oleh from North Sulawesi.”
The text on this page is extracted from the PhD thesis: “Inside the Drinking Circle: Cap Tikus, Contested Modernities, and Youth Resistance in Manado, North Sulawesi.” This thesis was submitted by Nastasja Ilonka Roels as part of the Doctoral Regulations of the University of Amsterdam (UvA). All text references should be made to the original thesis manuscript, once published via the UvA Digital Academic Repository, and not to this website. Permission is required to copy, display or reuse images, songs, and videos.