Betelnut Girls

June 4, 2007 8:33 PM

Binlang Xi Shi have become a part of Taiwan culture. From roadside booths they sell betelnut, cigarettes, and drinks to passing drivers. Competition between the booths drove the girls to wear skimpier outfits to attract more customers. A crackdown saw the introduction of a 3B's policy: no buttocks, no breasts and no belly-buttons. [the 'Binlang Box' page is NSFW] [more inside]
posted by tellurian (25 comments total)

Tobie Openshaw's photos [previously] , Chew on this - a teaser for a documentary and some more betelnut boxes.
posted by tellurian at 8:34 PM on June 4, 2007 [1 favorite]

Are we sure they're selling nuts?
posted by empath at 8:44 PM on June 4, 2007

I spent several days in Taipei a few years back, and chewed on those damn nuts practically the whole time I was there! They reminded me of similar nuts I bought and chewed daily during the six months I spent in Nigeria, back in 1980. Addictive!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:47 PM on June 4, 2007

Addictive!

Seems to be.

Also, interesting post.
posted by blahblahblah at 8:59 PM on June 4, 2007

not so healthy
posted by ryanrs at 9:03 PM on June 4, 2007

I was in Taiwan a few months ago - and omg LIGHTS! MOTORWAY! BODIES! I'm glad I knew what those disco boxes were before I arrived. Diversification, for sure.
posted by teststrip at 9:27 PM on June 4, 2007

All mafia controlled.

When driving in the south, between Kaoshun and Tainan one can see miles of beetle nut palms. The industry is huge. Good post.

My brother in law is an addict, it's a totally disgusting habit.

I'm impressed that one can hand one's filthy slime-filled spit cup to the poor bikini girl for her to dispose of it.

Service in Taiwan is really good.
posted by mattoxic at 10:04 PM on June 4, 2007

Rumours have it that they put glass in the beetle nut to make it more addictive- there are however lots of rumours in Taiwan.
posted by mattoxic at 10:05 PM on June 4, 2007

The US has exactly the same thing.
posted by zamboni at 10:11 PM on June 4, 2007

Those nuts are gross what with the rotting your teeth and the oral cancer and I am sure someone can get all riled up about the socio-political stuff and all but the way they walk in those short skirts and tall shoes is just too cute.
posted by Iron Rat at 10:20 PM on June 4, 2007

In related news, 20% of Cambodian beer girls (employed by brands like Budweiser, Stella Artois and Labatts) are HIV positive. They're classed as an advertising expense, and most companies refuse to fund any sort of healthcare.
posted by zamboni at 10:33 PM on June 4, 2007

I initially read this as Singapore for some reason, and was taken aback by (how taken aback I was by) the mental image of red sputum gobs on every available surface in that city.

Ah Taiwan, gotcha.

More.
posted by dreamsign at 10:39 PM on June 4, 2007

True, the nut in question is kinda gross, and it makes for rather hideous streets and sidewalks throughout Taipei. They're covered in little spit stains. Yuck. The Nigerian variety (the kola nut, they called it) was not as disgusting: didn't get all slimey. But when I was getting into the Taiwanese ones, I guess I didn't keep 'em in my mouth long enough to get that way. Which also means I may not have been getting enough bang for the buck.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 10:40 PM on June 4, 2007

I'm sorry, but see-through panties [NSFW] qualifies as shirtcooching.
posted by redteam at 11:20 PM on June 4, 2007

I've lived here in Taiwan for twenty years...and betel nut girls have made it just that much sweeter.

I occasionally buy a box of them...they provide an interesting and stimulating high.

But not something I would recommend on a regular basis. One common malady of the addicted is cheek cancer. Eek!
posted by rmmcclay at 11:22 PM on June 4, 2007

mattoxic wrote: All mafia controlled.
Loan shark gangsters imprisoning and torturing three defaulting customers over a 270-day period.
posted by tellurian at 12:33 AM on June 5, 2007

Those nuts are gross what with the rotting your teeth and the oral cancer

Long term use is known to increase the risk of oral and throat cancer, but peridontal disease is almost guaranteed.

and I am sure someone can get all riled up about the socio-political stuff...

Well there is riled up and there is being aware. There is a native Taiwanese population who have seen their island occupied first by the Japanese and then by Chiang Kai-Shek and his Nationalist Army. There is a good argument for Taiwanese independence, but not one which is based on the legitimacy of the present government. The PRC's claim is even more tenous: Taiwan is not properly part of mainland China.
posted by three blind mice at 12:45 AM on June 5, 2007

So it's gaudy roadside stands staffed by girls dressed like prostitutes (and controlled like prostitutes? can they quit? how old are they?) selling addictive carcinogenic drugs, and it's run by mafia types?

What a fine and lovely institution.

Start the bulldozers.
posted by pracowity at 4:08 AM on June 5, 2007

three blind mice: Actually the native population *first* had their island occupied by mainland Chinese "settlers" back around the end of the Ming dynasty, then by the Japanese, and then by the KMT.

Even today native Taiwanese are often treated as second class citizens by the (ethnically) Chinese majority.
posted by sotonohito at 5:26 AM on June 5, 2007

There is a native Taiwanese population who have seen their island occupied first by the Japanese and then by Chiang Kai-Shek and his Nationalist Army. There is a good argument for Taiwanese independence, but not one which is based on the legitimacy of the present government. The PRC's claim is even more tenous: Taiwan is not properly part of mainland China.

Actually the native population *first* had their island occupied by mainland Chinese "settlers" back around the end of the Ming dynasty, then by the Japanese, and then by the KMT.

Those two comments together are probably as succinct an account of Taiwan's messy history it's possible to give (and nicely illustrate the inherent ambiguity in the phrase "native Taiwanese"). I lived in Taiwan 30 years ago, and it's been one of the few pleasures of my life as a world citizen over that time to see Taiwan not only remain independent but actually migrate from authoritarianism to democracy without violence, a rare phenomenon. I wouldn't bet on its remaining independent another 30 years, though, and I don't think the process of being absorbed by mainland China will be without violence. I hope I'm wrong.
posted by languagehat at 7:43 AM on June 5, 2007

lhat: I'm a bit more optimistic then you. I do think they will eventually become a part of China, but I think it will happen without violence. Remember, unification does have popular support of the KMT party. The KMT is out of power and a pro-independence party is in place now. I do think it will depend on the internal politics of the island, rather then an external takeover attempt.

It's worth noting that a lot of Taiwanese own land and factories in China, and as China becomes more and more wealthy (and hopefully less totalitarian) the incentives for unification will increase.

I don't think the "ethnic" differentiation between the ming-dynasty wave Han and the republican era wave Han will last very long in Taiwan.

That's just a guess, though.
posted by delmoi at 8:21 AM on June 5, 2007

delmoi writes "I don't think the 'ethnic' differentiation between the ming-dynasty wave Han and the republican era wave Han will last very long in Taiwan."

I thought the ethnic differentiation was primarily: (Native Taiwanese) vs. (Ming & Republic era Han), not (Ming Han) vs. (Republic Han).
posted by Bugbread at 9:01 AM on June 5, 2007

Remember, unification does have popular support of the KMT party... It's worth noting that a lot of Taiwanese own land and factories in China, and as China becomes more and more wealthy (and hopefully less totalitarian) the incentives for unification will increase.

Sure, there are people who want unification (and there always have been). There are also a lot of people who don't want unification, and I'm pretty sure there always will be. The question is: can unification be accomplished in such a way as to satisfy enough of the latter to prevent them from taking to the hills and fighting for independence? Remember 2/28. And Communist China's track record at peaceful takeovers is not good (Hong Kong is not relevant, because it never was independent and despite Britain's craven abandonment of it, enough safeguards were insisted on that China had to act with more delicacy than they would otherwise have preferred).

I thought the ethnic differentiation was primarily: (Native Taiwanese) vs. (Ming & Republic era Han), not (Ming Han) vs. (Republic Han).

That's why he put "ethnic" in quotes—you're correct about the true ethnic distinction, but frankly the indigenous peoples are pretty irrelevant to life in Taiwan for the last few centuries (far more irrelevant than, say, Native Americans). It's the distinction between "Mainlanders" and "native Taiwanese" (i.e., Ming Han) that matters for Taiwanese politics, and at least when I was there it was definitely quasi-ethnic in nature.
posted by languagehat at 9:10 AM on June 5, 2007

Yeah, the big visible ethnic conflict in Taiwan is just as languagehat describes. They are both Han, but they have different Chinese languages, different cultures (the Taiwanese being influenced by Japan more), and different perspectives on the political identity and future of their island.

As to unification—the blue parties (KMT and allies) support it eventually, but say the mainland needs substantial reforms first, economically and sociopolitically. The green parties would like to push for independence more strongly, but strings attached to e.g. U.S. foreign aid make that impossible at present. And the PRC still uses this bombastic rhetoric and is terribly intransigent about the whole thing. E.g., thwarting Taiwan's recent bid for WHO membership. (If there's something worse to make into a political football than public health, I don't want to know what it is. PRC promises to assure the health of Taiwan's inhabitants, but 'Medicine with Chinese Characteristics' handled (i.e., didn't handle) the initial SARS outbreaks in a less-than-inspiring fashion.)

I don't have an opinion, one way or the other, on unification vs. independence. But I believe PRC rhetoric and policy toward Taiwan are excellent indicators of the extent of necessary reform in Chinese society. To be blunt, I do not believe Chinese unification will be advisable until Taiwanese sovereignty is possible.

Now that oughta tick off both camps and get my visa cancelled, wouldn't you say?
posted by eritain at 11:23 PM on June 5, 2007

I don't support declaring formal independence because I prefer the present state of things over the swift and violent attempt at unification that could very possibly follow such an other ineffective declaration. Of course it's easy to root for Taiwan independence when you're in Akron, Ohio, but people who actually live here tend to be a bit more pragmatic.

...what was the topic again?　Betalnut girls? Oh, yeah, ok.
posted by Poagao at 3:47 AM on June 6, 2007