What's that stuff wrapped in banana leaf "for ladies"?

[Tiggy7]

You DO get around, fella!

 

We meet again.

[rookie]

chewing betel nut is very common in the poor villages (rice growing areas) of Vietnam. The stained teeth are most often seen in the elderly. In addition to the mild narcotic and numbing effects, many use it to to numb the pain from bad teeth.

 

I would imagine it may be fairly common in many poor villages throught Asia??

[MooNoi]

Lactacid. Pussy wash.

[Central Scrutinizer]

There's plenty of the old gals in my village chewing the betel nut, even some of the younger married ones as well. But most girls will not chew now because of the damage to the teeth this causes through discoloration. We have betel nut palms lining our property. Problem is none of the boys in our village will, or can, climb the tall trees to cut the nuts down as used to be done, so Mama and her Sis buy the betel nut at the local markets, which is cheap enough really. Nasty habit, same as chewing tobacco is. A bit of an elaborate ritual mixing up the betel chew. Mama says it is like tobacco in effect. Gives a light buzz I'm told. Also helps curb ones appetite, so it was used to suppress the pangs of hunger by the poor. Most of the old gals sit around and socialize when preparing their betel chaw. They spit the shit everywhere, and one can see these crimson spit patches all over the dirt and grass yards around the places the old women hang out. Most of the old lasses have their woven betel nut basket which contains all their paraphernalia for making up the wads they chew. Special cutting tool for cutting the nuts, some leaves they wad it all up in, some lime or other some such powder, etc. and a spit pot lined with a plastic bag are held in their special basket that they carry around with them.

 

A nasty habit like I said, but still alive in Isaan and the villages around Surin from what I have seen.

 

Cent

[wonderlust]

Lactacid. Pussy wash.

 

That was my original suspicion but why wrap it in banana leaf?

 

This was in Pattaya near Walking Street so there weren't too many old ladies around so the betel theory looks a bit shaky.

[Old Hippie]

That and or bananna leaf tampons...?

[ChristianTroy]

Lactacid. Pussy wash.

 

actually good for your penis too!

 

 

[limbo]

There's plenty of the old gals in my village chewing the betel nut, even some of the younger married ones as well. But most girls will not chew now because of the damage to the teeth this causes through discoloration. We have betel nut palms lining our property. Problem is none of the boys in our village will, or can, climb the tall trees to cut the nuts down as used to be done, so Mama and her Sis buy the betel nut at the local markets, which is cheap enough really. Nasty habit, same as chewing tobacco is. A bit of an elaborate ritual mixing up the betel chew. Mama says it is like tobacco in effect. Gives a light buzz I'm told. Also helps curb ones appetite, so it was used to suppress the pangs of hunger by the poor. Most of the old gals sit around and socialize when preparing their betel chaw. They spit the shit everywhere, and one can see these crimson spit patches all over the dirt and grass yards around the places the old women hang out. Most of the old lasses have their woven betel nut basket which contains all their paraphernalia for making up the wads they chew. Special cutting tool for cutting the nuts, some leaves they wad it all up in, some lime or other some such powder, etc. and a spit pot lined with a plastic bag are held in their special basket that they carry around with them.

 

A nasty habit like I said, but still alive in Isaan and the villages around Surin from what I have seen.

 

Cent

 

Had some pix up from one of those baskets in the old photo gallery. Every 'original' Samui household has one of those baskets, especially the older folks.

 

[Guy Himmaparn]

I remember the betel girls in Taiwan selling stuff wrapped up the same way.

 

Still very common in Burma today where you'll see many small sidewalk stands with betel leaves splayed out fanlike in preparation for rolling the nuts along with a red powdery substance. Unlike Thailand both sexes chew there.