Paan............
I wrote an article about chat-eating in Ethiopia. Somebody who read it left a comment saying we have the same habit in India. Well, I have lived in India for 20 years to know that we don't have chat there...if there is, it is not a big problem to be of concern to the Indian community. But we do have an addictive habit, as well as it being cultural. The paan...betel leaf. I just wanted to write about that here [again, no offence meant against anything or anyone].
The betel leaf, as everyone knows, is a green leaf thing that people in India like to chew. I found this interesting article about the uses of betel leaf. I actually didn't think it would be in any way useful, but it seems to be anyway, which is good as long as it is not abused. As a cultural thing, the "paan" is served after lunch or dinner in traditional ceremonies, weddings and so on. Its a common sight to see people relaxing with paan in their mouths after a tiresome wedding or an important family function. It is mostly used as a mouth freshner. It is also said to aid in digestion, which is specially needed when you eat all sortsa spicy tasty yummy Indian food!
I found an article, an interesting little part of which is here.
"Betel nuts, so widely used in India, contain a drug called arecoline, a stimulant comparable to caffeine. The addition of a pinch of quicklime to the betel leaf appears to contribute to an increase in the potency of the leaf-nut combination. The exact role of betel leaf in a pan is unclear. For one, the leaf serves to wrap the contents in a nice little package. Secondly, the combination of quicklime and betel leaf appears to be responsible for the bright red juice just as the combination of quicklime and turmeric, the powder used for tilak, produces a similarly bright red color.) The nuisance value associated with excessive use of pan is that it first discolors the user's teeth and makes them ugly. Secondly, the way people spit the juice on public pavements is a national disgrace."
Well, I did think that spitting the juice on public pavements was a habit left in India alone. Apparently, when Indians go abroad, they carry their habits with them as well. I recently went to an Indian place close to Chicago. There was a whole big lane of Indian stores, from clothing stores to grocery stores to eat-outs. It seemed so much like India, except for a lot of traffic lights, street signs and sidewalks. I would have thought Indian people would have kept the place cleaner, this being a foreign country. But no, I was wrong. I saw red patches on the sidewalks and on areas around lamp-posts and street signs - red patches of betel juice, spit by good old Indians. Spitting betel juice on the ground is now an international disgrace, I bet. I wonder why people cannot stop doing that anywhere they go. I remember the sight of special spit stands at railway stations in India, filled with sand for people to spit into but still, not many use them.
Long time use of betel leaf and nut chewing leads to mouth cancer. Here's more on paan. It is kindof an addictive habit, once you start chewing it regularly. I read this article that quoted that withdrawal from chewing paan is diffcult, in that you get this sensation of chewing paan first thing in the morning. That is as bad as addictive alcoholism. Not many people really bother about oral cancer in India, because visibly, the only bad thing that shows of betel chewing is the redness of the mouth. On the long run, it can prove a dangerous habit, just as smoking is to the lungs.
The betel leaf, as everyone knows, is a green leaf thing that people in India like to chew. I found this interesting article about the uses of betel leaf. I actually didn't think it would be in any way useful, but it seems to be anyway, which is good as long as it is not abused. As a cultural thing, the "paan" is served after lunch or dinner in traditional ceremonies, weddings and so on. Its a common sight to see people relaxing with paan in their mouths after a tiresome wedding or an important family function. It is mostly used as a mouth freshner. It is also said to aid in digestion, which is specially needed when you eat all sortsa spicy tasty yummy Indian food!
I found an article, an interesting little part of which is here.
"Betel nuts, so widely used in India, contain a drug called arecoline, a stimulant comparable to caffeine. The addition of a pinch of quicklime to the betel leaf appears to contribute to an increase in the potency of the leaf-nut combination. The exact role of betel leaf in a pan is unclear. For one, the leaf serves to wrap the contents in a nice little package. Secondly, the combination of quicklime and betel leaf appears to be responsible for the bright red juice just as the combination of quicklime and turmeric, the powder used for tilak, produces a similarly bright red color.) The nuisance value associated with excessive use of pan is that it first discolors the user's teeth and makes them ugly. Secondly, the way people spit the juice on public pavements is a national disgrace."
Well, I did think that spitting the juice on public pavements was a habit left in India alone. Apparently, when Indians go abroad, they carry their habits with them as well. I recently went to an Indian place close to Chicago. There was a whole big lane of Indian stores, from clothing stores to grocery stores to eat-outs. It seemed so much like India, except for a lot of traffic lights, street signs and sidewalks. I would have thought Indian people would have kept the place cleaner, this being a foreign country. But no, I was wrong. I saw red patches on the sidewalks and on areas around lamp-posts and street signs - red patches of betel juice, spit by good old Indians. Spitting betel juice on the ground is now an international disgrace, I bet. I wonder why people cannot stop doing that anywhere they go. I remember the sight of special spit stands at railway stations in India, filled with sand for people to spit into but still, not many use them.
Long time use of betel leaf and nut chewing leads to mouth cancer. Here's more on paan. It is kindof an addictive habit, once you start chewing it regularly. I read this article that quoted that withdrawal from chewing paan is diffcult, in that you get this sensation of chewing paan first thing in the morning. That is as bad as addictive alcoholism. Not many people really bother about oral cancer in India, because visibly, the only bad thing that shows of betel chewing is the redness of the mouth. On the long run, it can prove a dangerous habit, just as smoking is to the lungs.
posted by Grace at 4:56 PM
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