one: 50 bottles in wadi gafar

When de fros’ is on de pun’kin an’ de sno’-flakes in de ar’,/ I den begin rejoicin’—hog-killin’ time is near;/ An’ de vizhuns ub de fucher den fill my nightly dreams,/ Fur de time is fas’ a-comin’ fur de ’lishus pork an’ beans.
Hog Meat, Daniel Webster Davis

Hamed Khalfan Nasser al Aufi, 13, is at it outside, killing a species of bee, more reddish in colour, that attacks those that the Aufis nurture for their honey. Hamed is whacking at the reds with a slice of date palm frond, keeping busy during a break from school. Will he go away to pursue other careers once he finishes his education, an opportunity not available to those before him? “Whatever the circumstances,” says his grandfather, “even if the children become doctors – this place will remain. The tradition will not be lost, our children will come back to it.” It might not be as limiting as it sounds. In the old days when only a donkey could get through, they would take the honey to markets in Rustaq and Al Awabi and auction it there. Now, buyers hammer their 4WDs through the wadis to them, and a bottle of Vimto filled with honey could cost you up to RO40. Each season might yield 50 bottles.

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