Its Beer Pong – Not Beirut

2005 > Lebanon

Better not be caught with a ping pong in Beirut

better than Almaza
Vodka, not beer, please
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Back in my first days of DC residency, I was introduced to this most American of games; Beer Pong. Meant to be a drinking game for college kids, it’s a skill-less game of bouncing ping pong balls into plastic cups as an excuse to get wasted on bad beer.

While its so foolish its banned in Virginia bars, the NoVA kids still hold it in high esteem, and beer pong tourneys are hotly contested. So, oddly enough is the name. While those of us who possess logic know its called “beer pong”, there is a small contingent that swear its true name is “Beirut.” Fools, I say and I am here in Beirut to verify.

I ask around, college kids, adults, Christians, Muslims, drunkards and tea-toddlers, and no-one has ever heard of it – beer pong or Beirut. In fact no one here is stupid enough to play with ping pong balls while drinking. Advice I would give you, my fearless reader.

So the next time you’re asked to play, and even if you’re using the watered down Lebanese beer, Almaza, remember, if it’s a drinking game with a ping pong ball, it “Beer Pong” not Beirut. The Beiruites have suffered enough, they need not this association too.


Category: Lebanon

2 Comments on “Its Beer Pong – Not Beirut”

  1. this is the worst article ive ever read. i disagree with it wholeheartedly. your make believe research doesn’t support your conlusion at all, it opposes it. even if you did actually go to beiruit and ask all around and nobody heard of the game beiruit, they didnt hear of beer pong either so… way to suck. and also, its the greatest drinking game of all time.

  2. Rick,

    While I do agree, it is much more fun to play with ping pong balls than quarters or cups, if we are talking Beer Pong, we have to use cups at least.

    And not only did I go to Beirut, I asked local Beiruties (you know any?), drinkers all, if they every played drinking games. All had, but none played a game using ping pong balls, and none had ever hear of a drinking game using such equipment, regardless of the name.

    So we here in the USA are free to play with ping pong balls, even use them in drinking games, the name of this game would be Beer Pong, not Beirut. To have a game, or anything else, named after a city (Philly Cheese steak, for example) that game has to start in the named city.