King Momo raises a toast to Feni
THE GOAN NETWORK
Playing to the tune of what Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar said at the recently held feni stake-holders meet, King Momo, Shalom Sardinha, urged Goa and Goans to promote and protect Goa's indigenous assets and culture.
King Momo-2016 stated that not just for Carnaval, but throughout the year, feni needs to be celebrated as an asset of not just Goa but of India. He went on to add that like all alcoholic beverages, feni also has to be celebrated in moderation.
He stated that after years of having wine festivals, Goa Tourism department and all resorts are celebrating feni festivals. As classic examples, he pointed to the cashew and coconut festival started by Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) last year and the annual Park Hyatt's ‘Cashew Trail.’
King Momostressed that feni, besides being an alcoholic beverage, has tremendous medicinal values provided you get the genuine one.
Fortunately there are still quite a few companies like Madame Rosa, the bottlers of the flagship brand Big Boss, which make authentic feni which can match the cognacs and single malts of the world.
"In Goa, feni is one of those things which we can say is ours like our mother tongue Konkani," said King Momo.
One Goan company has almost single-handedly shown that if you bottle good stuff, it can be exported to the world and appreciated by the world. It is a proud fact for every Goan to know that brands like Lembranca and Big Boss stand shoulder-to-shoulder on shelves and bars in many nations with the best spirits of the world.
Making good feni and bottling it will open bigger markets which will benefit the small farmers and cottage distillers to remain motivated to continue in their family tradition. It is a cottage industry which needs support and encouragement like Tequila and Arrack were given by their respective governments.
At the Samba Square, at Madame Rosa's ‘Do not drink and drive’ campaign, King Momo ensured that before starting to sip on the recently launched Lembranca brand which is designed by Mario Miranda, he tried his hand on a eco-friendly PTV Segaway (personal transport vehicle), that is being introduced by Trek on Wheels in association with GTDC to conduct guided tours in Goa.
A PTV is a self-balancing bike which is easy and fun to manoeuvre as you stand on it and move at a speed of maximum 18 km per hour. ‘Do not drink and drive’ is a campaign of Madame Rosa Distillery to showcase and sample the charcoal filtered and oak cask matured brand 'Lembranca' designed by renowned cartoonist late Mario Miranda.
King Momo mentioned that just as Mario Miranda was a son of the soil, feni is the spirit of our Goan soil. He went on to add that just as you should not drink alcoholic beverages and drive on roads, you shouldn’t drink and drive this PTV too.
As part of the Samba Square promotion with Lembranca ‘Have a fennytastic day in moderation,’ one lucky couple won a hot air balloon ride voucher and a real oak maturation cask from the hands of King Momo.
