As two men dressed in suits came into the bar the other night I didn’t think anything out of the ordinary about them. Sitting down I handed them cocktail menus and with little deliberation they both ordered bud lights.
I try hard these days not to be such a damn snob about what people order and served them the beers and went on with my night. Half way into their bud lights one of the men ask me, in broken English, if they could have two shots of Grey Goose (what the hell is it with grey goose?) and I gladly obliged. The two men stood up, and very loudly yelled out “Oogy Wawa” drank the shot and slammed the glass down, then sat back in their stools, going right back to quietly talking and being polite.
I’m not surprised I didn’t know this but “Oogy Wawa” is “Cheers” in the Zulu language. According to good old Wikipedia, Zulu is the most widely spoken language in South Africa. I respect the social science of the Toast, and wish I was more cultured in other Cheers/Toasts from around the world. From what I understand the clinking of glasses tells the people you are drinking with that you trust them. It stems from poisoning in the Middle Ages; the King would pour some wine into everybody’s glass in the room, ensuring the wine was poison free and of course, making a clinking sound with each pour as the glasses touched.
Most verbal Toasts in general are saying the same thing, to good health, to good luck, to friendship. Enjoying drinks with friends has evolved into seeing how drunk you can get and how fast, which is not enjoying drinking at all. Next time you go out with a friend order a good drink from a good bartender, turn to your friend, clink your glasses and say Cheers, a simple, historical ritual to start your evening off with a smile.
Here is a list of Toasts from around the globe, feel free to add any others you may know of, and of course… Cheers.
Arabic – Shucram or Fisehatak
Australia – Bottoms Up or Cheers
Basque – Topa
Brazil, Portugal – Tchim Tchim or Sauté or Viva
Chinese – Nien Nien ne
Costa Rica – Pura Vida
Danish – Skal
Dutch – Proost
Finnish – Kippis
French – A votre santé
German – Prost
Greek – Eis igian
Hawaiian – Okole maluna
Irish – Slante
Israeli – L’chaim
Italian – A la salute
Japanese – Kampai
Russian – Na zdrovia (apparently nobody says this, in fact, there really isn’t much toasting that goes on in Russia, but you might hear Budem)
Spanish – Salud
Tagalog – Mabuhay
Thai – Chayoo
Ukrainian – Budmo
Vietnamese – Chia
Welsh – Lechyd da
Zulu – Oogy Wawa
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