The Habit of Betel Nut Chewing – Part II

14-May-2011, 2316

Betel nut is chewed regularly by at least 10% of the world population, imported by immigrant users wherever they settle, and is the fourth most widely used addictive substance (Sahelian, n.d.)  It turns out that Papuans chew betel nut for three reasons: stress reduction, feelings of well-being, and heightened awareness.  Sound familiar?  It is almost akin to coffee drinking and/or cigarette smoking, eh?  Folks chew first thing in the morning in order to become fully awake.  “It is an eye opener” says Alex, one of the security guards at the house, who is frequently found with a lump in his cheek full of buai fibers.  Chewing the nut for the very first time will be a turn off for anyone as I was told, since the taste can range from being very sour to somewhat bitter.  But, according to folks, one can also easily acclimate to the taste, just like smoking a cigarette can feel asphyxiating at first, then gradually become something that one grows to like.  Then, folks chew one betel nut at a time intermittently throughout the day.  Some chew more than others throughout the day.  And then there are some who chew more than one betel nut at a time!  In the documentary Betel Nut Bisnis that I watched last week, a native without teeth (forget about false teeth) from the Goroka Province used a wooden mortar and pestle in order to make the concoction, and eventually place the mixture in his mouth to extract the juice and taste.  Talk about ingenuity, eh? 

Chewing betel nut intermittently throughout the day, aside from increasing salivation, supposedly suppresses hunger sensation as well.  This theory, if proven true, has a profound implication here in Papua New Guinea.  With the rising prices of commodities in the country, including food, natives are reduced to eating cheap and locally grown produce like peanuts (raw!), kaw-kaw (Asian sweet potato, and not the kind that we cook during Thanksgiving either!), po-po (papaya), and bananas.  Some also eat crackers that are locally manufactured and therefore cheap.  Forget about the “Dollar Value Menu” from McDonald’s, Burger King, or Wendy’s as these are non-existent here.  Even the so-called “cheap” kai bars (local food establishments) are not so cheap.  In addition, Dr. Sahelian warns that “excessive use leads to palpitations, warm sensation, increased pulse rate, and sweating”.   Betel contains three major alkaloids: arecoline, pilocarpine, and muscarine.  I am not sure as to which chemical is it that makes it somewhat mildly addictive, but you can imagine its innate power to make its victim want more, and more, and more.  Dr. Sahelian (n.d) adds:

Specific arecal alkaloids act as competitive inhibitors of GABA receptors and have widespread effects in the body, including actions on the brain, cardiovascular system, lungs, gut, and pancreas.  Nitrosated derivatives of arecal alkaloids, proven carcinogens inducing tumors throughout the upper gut and foregut derivatives in animals, are also associated with increased tumor risks in man.  Increased central obesity is found in association with betel usage in man as well as increases in circulating markers of inflammatory and cardiovascular damage.  The effects of chronic betel usage in man are at least as diverse as those of smoking and the habit increases the risks of ill health. 

It is also relatively cheap, with price of one betel nut ranging from 20 to 50 toeas (cents), depending on season and availability.  So the common Papuan will buy maybe 6 nuts and put them in their bilum bag (like a pocket book).  The purchase will include the nut, mustard stick, and lime powder.  The mustard stick is another produce with seeds, coming from some vegetation that are also locally grown.  The lime powder comes from corals.  The corals are first harvested from the sea, dried in the sun, collectively burned, until the corals are reduced to the white powdery material.  It will be sieved by the locals using cheesecloth or some other form of sieve material in order to get the purified powder form.  It will eventually be sold in the market, also for a cheap price.  Interestingly, the paraphernalia to do betel nut chewing (betel nut, lime, mustard) is really cheap compared to any other useful commodity, like food!

                                    Sea stag-horn coral harvesting, then off to dry in the sun...

                                     Stag-horn coral collective burning after drying in the sun...

                         Corals reduced to white powdery lime that are sieved for extra purification.

Then off to the stock market...

So, what is the process like?  The folks will get the fruit and crack it open using their teeth since it is somewhat soft.  The inside is very husky and fibrous and the actual nut is found inside the center.  The nut is obtained and put in the mouth and the folks will just start chewing it until it breaks.  Folks will keep on chewing until the juices inside the nut are released.  Then, folks will moisten the tip of the mustard stick in their mouth and dip it in the lime powder.  Understand that one mustard stick will probably last about three to four dips in the lime powder, and I was told that it really should not be a big portion of the stick and a big wad of lime in any given time because it will really burn inside the mouth.  After the mustard stick is moistened and dipped in the lime powder, the folks will place this portion on top of the chewed betel nut, bite the portion off, and continue on chewing.  Again, I was instructed to not put the mustard stick with the lime powder directly on the oral mucosal surface because it will burn, supposedly.  The mixture of the three ingredients produces a chemical reaction that produces the flagrantly maroon clay red color.  Salivation is also increased at this time.  This explains the red spit all over town because what the folks do is spit the excess red saliva from chewing.  It is very disheartening to see the town tainted in maroon red spit all over because almost everyone are chewers, and this is despite the poster and billboards all over the town that mandates to not do: “Respect the town.  Do not chew and spit betel nut”.  Some people swallow the whole concoction over time.  Some people just chew, then spit, then chew again until the whole residue has been completely swallowed slowly.  This brings my interest in finding out whether the urine or excrement turns out red as well.  So that is what betel nut chewing is all about. 

 Betel Nut Chewing Paraphernalia (betel nut, lime powder, and mustard stick)...

(Pictures, except the last one, are obtained online, courtesy of Stella Chiu-Freund.  Last one is mine)

Have I tried it?  You bet I DIDN’t!!!