I found out the hard way that women in Swaziland don't drink beer. We had been told by several people that the local beer was a nice lager called Sibebe and we had to try it! After ordering this local refreshment at a few restaurants in Swaziland, my husband Caleb and I acknowledged to each other that I seemed to be having trouble with some of the wait staff understanding my order and that I needed to be more precise and learn the proper pronunciation. Everyone we met was incredibly nice and spoke far more English than I did Swazi so I wondered why I was struggling.
We weren't quick to realize why the staff would look at me like I was crazy and then would ask Caleb what I wanted to drink. He of course would repeat the exact same thing I just said. It might seem obvious in retrospect however neither of us understood. At dinner we made friends with a wonderful restaurant owner and a local Swazi couple. Later they asked me why I was drinking beer and why my husband would allow that. Ah ha!! I then learned, beer is a "man's drink" in Swaziland and the bar staff was truly asking Caleb his permission for them to serve it to me. Oops!
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