I love new cultural experiences. The excitement of trying anything for the
first time gives me a thrill, so I was very excited to try Betel Nut since it
packs a very tangible high aside from the novelty of the experience. \
First and foremost – Betel Nut is not only completely legal
in Taiwan, but chewing it is an extremely common practice here that dates back
hundreds if not thousands of years. All
over Taiwan there are little booths lit up with neon lights that sell bags of
betel nut to taxi drivers, truckers, and anyone else looking for a little
pick-me-up. Apparently these booths are often staffed by scantily clad women in
other parts of Taiwan, but this practice has been banned inside Taipei. Every
betel nut vendor I have seen is staffed by a grumpy older man who is, thankfully,
not wearing reveling clothes.
The betel nut buzz is nothing like that of alcohol or
marijuana – it is much more akin to a strong cup of coffee. Chewing a little right now, I can attest that
the effects come on much quicker than caffeine, but are more short-lived. How does it taste? Somewhere between god-awful and just plain
terrible. It is extremely bitter - an
acquired taste to say the least. Since I
have a fondness for most bitter flavors, I don’t find it as offensive as most first-time
users probably do. Even though I don’t
mind the bitterness, I have gum ready to chew after I spit out the remainder of
the pulp.
The downside to chewing betel nut is that it has been
identified as a carcinogenic. This
applies mostly to processed betel nut, not the natural preparation that you can
find here in Taiwan. However, the World
Health Organization does officially classify it as a cancer risk factor for
habitual users. I figure that chewing a
few times a month this year can’t be too deadly since I see plenty of cab
drivers in their 60’s chewing it almost constantly.
First and foremost – Betel Nut is not only completely legal
in Taiwan, but chewing it is an extremely common practice here that dates back
hundreds if not thousands of years. All
over Taiwan there are little booths lit up with neon lights that sell bags of
betel nut to taxi drivers, truckers, and anyone else looking for a little
pick-me-up. Apparently these booths are often staffed by scantily clad women in
other parts of Taiwan, but this practice has been banned inside Taipei. Every
betel nut vendor I have seen is staffed by a grumpy older man who is, thankfully,
not wearing reveling clothes.
The betel nut buzz is nothing like that of alcohol or
marijuana – it is much more akin to a strong cup of coffee. Chewing a little right now, I can attest that
the effects come on much quicker than caffeine, but are more short-lived. How does it taste? Somewhere between god-awful and just plain
terrible. It is extremely bitter - an
acquired taste to say the least. Since I
have a fondness for most bitter flavors, I don’t find it as offensive as most first-time
users probably do. Even though I don’t
mind the bitterness, I have gum ready to chew after I spit out the remainder of
the pulp. 
The downside to chewing betel nut is that it has been
identified as a carcinogenic. This
applies mostly to processed betel nut, not the natural preparation that you can
find here in Taiwan. However, the World
Health Organization does officially classify it as a cancer risk factor for
habitual users. I figure that chewing a
few times a month this year can’t be too deadly since I see plenty of cab
drivers in their 60’s chewing it almost constantly.
Although I don’t think occasional use will do me in, this is
one part of Taiwan’s culture that I won’t be bringing back with me to the
US. I’ll stick to my coffee and tea.
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