'Lapen' becomes the choice in times of crisis

Asip A. Hasani, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

After finishing work at Wirogunan prison in Yogyakarta, 63- year-old prison warden "Parman" set off to his local street bar on Jl. Jend. Sudirman, where he would spend the evening drinking a cheap alcoholic beverage known locally as Lapen.

Parman is one of a number of regular customers who makes frequent excursions to sample Lapen, short for langsung penak, which in Javanese literally means instantly tasting good.

"Being among prisoners in small cells is a hard job, and a boring one which I am not rewarded for. So I find this place relaxing," said Parman, who has been working as a warden for almost 40 years.

As he sits in the bar on a makeshift wooden bench illuminated by a gasoline lamp, he chats to former inmates in his prison who are now his friends.

Apart from Parman, other customers at the watering hole, which belongs to 44-year-old Mas Har, include pedicab drivers, hoodlums, university students and journalists. All of them enjoy the sweet and cheap Lapen.

For a first-time drinker, a cup is enough. Two cups, each costing Rp 2,000, will make you drunk.

"I will need at least Rp 20,000 to buy vodka. With Lapen, I only need a cup, or one and a half at most," said Sigit, a Gadjah Mada University School of Law student.

While some prefer Lapen straight, there are those who prefer Lapen super -- Lapen mixed with milk costing Rp 2,500 per cup. Others prefer Lapen Jamu, which is mixed with traditional herbal medicine and costs Rp 3,000 per cup.

"Lapen Jamu is good for an old man like me who needs to keep in good health," Parman said.

Unlike in real bars, customers at the street bar advise each other not to drink too much.

"We will tell people who drink too much to leave because getting drunk is not our intention when drinking Lapen here. We just want to be relaxed," Edy, another customer, said.

Lapen started gaining in popularity among Yogyakartans in the early 1990s, especially since many people could no longer afford to buy other bottled alcoholic beverages like beer, wine or vodka.

However, there's no clear explanation of what Lapen is really made of, although its sellers claim that it is safe for human consumption.

"Just don't drink Lapen when you've just taken chemicals like drugs," Mas Har said.

He explained that the main ingredient is liquid alcohol made from fermented rice or sugar cane just like Chiu, a local alcoholic beverage in Surakarta. But Lapen, he added, is mixed with other ingredients to make it taste better. He did not elaborate.

Lapen's sales remain good despite reports of adverse affects on the body. In the last 10 years, at least five people are reported to have died drinking the alcoholic beverage. However, there's no clear explanation from the police as to whether it's caused by Lapen.

"You can die if you drink too much alcohol regardless of the beverage and especially if mixed with drugs," another Lapen seller in Jl. Adi Sutjipto said.

Still, Mas Har reaps a Rp 100,000 profit each night, and over the weekends might bring home Rp 200,000 a night.

But business is not always good. Just like in a mob movie, Lapen sellers have to pay extortion fees, or even become the targets of an attack. At least two Lapen sellers who insisted on remaining open during the recent Ramadhan were attacked by local Muslims.

"We couldn't stop selling Lapen over Ramadhan because we needed enough money to buy our children new dresses to celebrate Idul Fitri," Mas Har said.