Betel mania sweeps Taiwan
In many Asian countries, a betel nut chew is the favorite way to obtain a mild stimulant charge. The popularity of betel nut among young Taiwanese males, however, has created such competition among street vendors, that they are going to all kinds of extremes to entice passing motorists to stop and puchase their wares.
Young female vendors bare their midriffs and just about everything else to attract potential customers. Some betel nut girls work topless and wear thongs. Others dress as cats, nurses, or schoolgirls.
Understandably, the situation pits the Taiwan government against the young women who work as betel nut beauties. Officials want to promote morality by forcing the women to cover up, while the women (who are mostly uneducated and otherwise unemployable) argue that doing so will cut into their incomes.
Yet another chapter being written for one of the oldest stories in the world. . .
JP
wow. i was just cruising BE when i came across your site and the first word that caught my eye was betel nut. I’m from Guam and most of the old folks chew betelnut, and many native Chamorros, but I didn’t know it was chewed in your country as well and so popular with the young male crowd. very interesting. cook site.
January 23rd, 2005 at 2:12 pmJust so there is no misunderstanding, this piece was about Taiwan.
JAPUNDIT is based in Japan, where there is no betel nut chewing going on (at least as far as I know!)
I gather that betel nuts are quite popular in a number of Asian countries.
JP
January 23rd, 2005 at 2:24 pmyou almost think that you’ve heard it all when you come across betel nut promoters who are skimpily clad..*sigh*
January 24th, 2005 at 4:47 amI was searching for betel nut and and I bumped into your website. I am from a state Assam in India, we also chew betel nut like many of you and surprsingly in the same way with the betel leaf and lime. I guess there might be some anthropological explanation to how people in this region have this habit and how they use it in a similar way!
May 29th, 2005 at 2:39 amI was wondering if betel nut chewing is there in southern Japan?
No betel nut chewing at all in Japan, as far as I know.
May 29th, 2005 at 10:14 am[...] South African documentary maker Tobie Openshaw has spent seven years talking to, taping, and photographing betel nut girls across Taiwan. According to Openshaw, modern betel-nut girls are neither under-aged nor abused as is often claimed. Rather they are mature adults who have made a rational decision to cash in on the relatively high returns they can earn by selling betel nuts. [One] thesis is betel-nut beauties are low class because they expose their bodies. As a result the occasional legislator will charge betel-nut girls with destroying the moral fabric of the nation. This is why the beauties are banned from Taipei City and told to cover up elsewhere. The truth, according to Openshaw, is singers and actresses like Jolin Tsai also show off their bodies but they are looked up to for it. [...]
March 1st, 2007 at 11:44 pm