| Abstract: |
pg 45 Since betel nut is also known as a narcotic, the tolerance level of this addictive habit rises as the quid chewing increases. betel nut is classified as a drug and has recently become popular among alternative drug users. pg 47 Betel chewing acts as a bowel regulator, tames stomach gas, lessens hunger, aids digestion and sweetens the breadth. While casual chewers, along with proper dental hygiene, have little negative effect, incessant chewers who do not take care of their mouths, end up with tell-tale black teeth, red-stained mouths and lips, and often mouth cancer. pg 47-48 While today it is not as common as it once was, at one time betel chewing had many social rituals. Offering betel was to Asians what offering refreshments is to western people. The amount and quality of the ingredients, the timing of the offer and the manner of presentation indicated the type of social relationship between the host and guests. These hospitality rituals differed by region, and every society turned the practice into its own art form. Celebrations of engagement, marriage and birth also involved the presentation or exchange of betel nuts, leaves and other ingredients. To share these precious items was a sign of love, respect, and honor. Many Southeast Asians folded betel packets intoa deceased person's hands as an offering for the spirits and gods. Even the red juice was believed to have special powers. In the \bPhilipines\b, red spittle painted on babies' stomachs protected them from colds. Warriors in \bTimor\b decorated their faces and upper bodies with it, while in \bJava\b spitting betel juice thwarted and repelled evil spirits. \bSiamese\b women and their SEA sisters used the ruby saliva in the same way that western females applied red wax or balm to heighten their natural lip color. In old Siam, shiny carmine-colored lips and black teeth made a Siamese beauty all the more enticing. In 1942, the Prime Minister of Thailand, Field Marshal Pibulsongkram, made it illegal to chew betel quid.
|
