Kind Fairy: Ukraine Drinking Buddies For Hire

A Ukraine firm is offering a solution to those who find themselves feeling down and out around the holidays. For 150 Ukrainian hryvnias (or about $18), locals can guarantee themselves an evening of good conversation and revelry by hiring a drinking buddy, the AFP is reporting.

Officials at Kind Fairy, a Ukrainian event-planning firm in the industrial Dniprodzerzhynsk, say they started offering drinking buddies for hire last December, and the service quickly became one of the company's most popular. "Virtually all of our people are talented," said Yulia Peyeva, head of Kind Fairy. "They can play guitar, sing or recite poetry. Today you may want to talk about art and tomorrow to read Faust."

The firm, whose staff includes some psychologists, is also popular among locals who are reluctant to seek therapy, though it does not does encourage binge drinking, nor should it be considered a matchmaking or escort service.