Betel nut beauty
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In Taiwan, a betel nut beauty or binlang girl is a young woman selling betel nuts and cigarettes from a brightly lit glass enclosure while wearing revealing clothing. The term in Chinese comes from Xi
A highly decorated betel nut kiosk along the main street near a freeway intersection
Betel nut beauty
A betel nut beauty
Betel nut chewing
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Betel nut chewing, also called betel quid chewing or areca nut chewing, is a practice in which areca nuts are chewed together with slaked lime and betel leaves for their stimulant and narcotic effects
Betel nut beauty
…while wearing revealing clothing. The term in Chinese comes from Xi Shi, the legendary beauty of imperial China's Spring and Autumn period. Though betel nut chewing is practiced in many regions in Southeast Asia, the betel nut beauty phenomenon is distinctly Taiwanese. The original betel nut beauties were the…
Ghiyas al-Din eats a betel chew, illustration from the Nimatnama-i-Nasiruddin-Shahi. Malwa, c. 1500. British Library
The items used in a chewing session. The betel leaves are folded. Slices of the dry areca nut are on the upper left. Slices of the tender areca nut are on the upper right. The pouch on the right has tobacco, an optional element. On the lower right, there are dried cloves.
Betel leaves at a market in Mandalay, Myanmar
A statue of a hermit with an offering of betel quid from Thailand