The Materia Medica, an ancient Chinese treatise on medicinal plants, says that the betel nut was considered a medicinal item, while the Food Sanitation and Management Act (食品衛生管理法) considers it as a food item. In Aboriginal culture, betel nuts are a treat offered to special guests, while in traditional Taiwanese culture, they were one of 12 engagement gifts.

Betel-nut prices and production rose significantly in the mid-1970s, but today, prices have dropped and production remains stable. The total number of betel-nut chewers -- colloquially known as "the red-lipped people" -- is estimated at 3.5 million.

treated it as a unique culture? perhaps an aspect of culture that exists here. and being curious about something does not equate having a positive opinion of the same - one may be curious about anything one is unfamiliar with. we are then offered some rather disjointed historical background of the betel nut, including the fact that in ancient times it was seen as a medicinal item - much like bear paw and tiger penis?

Betel-nut beauties made their first appearance with the "Shuangdong Girls" at the Shuangdong Betel Nut Stand, which opened in Guoxing Township (國姓鄉), Nantou County, in the late 1960s.

The social benefits of the betel nut industry -- to the producers, distributors, retailers and consumers -- outweigh the social costs. Farmers in rural areas support their families and pay for their children's schooling by selling betel nuts. There are also tens of thousands of betel nut distributors and retailers, in addition to the betel-nut beauties who earn their own money with the dignity that this implies.

Betel-nut stands also fill many other functions: drivers consult them for directions and police consult them for local information.

we are then offered one sentence about the history of betel nut beauties, before veering sharply into the social benefits of the industry. the what? which social benefits would those be? ah, the people who grow, distribute and sell betel nut make money. shocker, that. not only are there social benefits, but they outweigh the social costs ... i assume we are supposed to take this on the author's word. i'm not going to comment on the dignity of selling betel nut - it's not for me to judge the job of selling it. but certainly there are other jobs which don't require one to dress in one's underwear to make a sale? (dear author: this is probably where the aforementioned curiousity comes from, by the way.)

the last line borders on the farcical - people can't ask anyone else for directions or local information? at any hour of the night there's a number of places open on just about any road busy enough to have betel nut stalls on it.

In terms of social costs, the betel-nut industry affects water and soil conservation, chewing betel nuts can cause cancer and thus increase health expenditures and illegal betel-nut stands may worsen traffic conditions.

nice of the author to add a line about social costs, although glossing over the issues of cancer and pollution leads me to question his potential biases (never mind his intelligence).

As far as markets go, transportation and sale of betel nut is fairly systematic. Prices are are set in 1,000-nut units during each stage of the process, with fixed price intervals to guarantee profits for producers, delivery people and retailers.

In terms of marketing, betel-nut brands can be compared to cars or cigarettes. Users are picky about the quality and have their own preferences, which means that better brand really equals better quality. Betel-nut beauties are part of the sales strategy, fulfilling the same function as those scantily-clad girls at automobile, computer and information exhibitions. And yet they are still looked down upon due to individual or class consciousness.

guaranteed profits from being involved in the sale of a vice - another shocker. and i'd really like to see some study/statistics that state that people look down on betel nut beauties more so than other scantily-clad women. of course, if your product relies on this tactic for sales, it's likely that business ain't too hot.

Be it the Council of Agriculture, the Department of Health, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, the Ministry of the Interior or social groups, all have a negative impression of betel nuts and betel-nut beauties and would like to eliminate them. However, chewing betel nut is a hobby for many people, just as is smoking, or drinking alcohol or tea.

But just like cigarette butts, chewed-out betel nuts can pollute our environment.

this is sort of the crux of the issue for many: at what point does one's personal freedom to potentially harm yourself clash with society's responsibility to pay for your medical care? also, the argument that betel nut chewing is a hobby really sits on thin ice - smoking is slowly being banned indoors even here, not to mention north america where one almost can't find a place to smoke indoors anymore. i also like how he tucks another social cost in here - why not earlier with the others?

The government should regulate the production of betel nuts the same way it does tobacco or tea to protect slope lands. Farmers do not have to use as much pesticides to protect betel nut plantations as they do for tea. Since health authorities define betel nut as a kind of food, it should certainly be treated as a food, which means that the Ministry of Economic Affairs should regulate it as a food product, and vendors should be required to register as businesses and pay business taxes. Other government ministries should assist legal betel-nut producers and vendors and adopt the same attitude they have toward showgirls at automobile, computer and information exhibitions.

Stand owners, for their part, must do more to improve their industry. They should offer job training to their employees so the women can improve their conditions to the level of showgirls, and add a sense of aesthetic to their unique culture. Entrepreneurs could also set up chains and turn their stands into grocery stores.

All those involved in the industry should also cooperate with the government and support its anti-smoking and anti-betel nut campaigns, so that the "red-lipped people" can exercise their right as consumers to choose whether they want to spend their money buying health or cancer.

further, betel nut trees are known to be harmful in that planting them often leads to landslides. as the author correctly points out, slope lands need to be protected. government regulation would certainly be interesting - another hong bao anyone? i'm wondering how many betel nut girls pay taxes now, and how many would after law changes? especially with the honesty in paying taxes that exists here.

the suggestions in the second to last paragraph are comical - showgirls? and who really thinks the owners are going to spring for anything? bushiban owners here are for the most part hesitant to pay for their teachers to improve, so why would betel nut owners take the initiative? i'd be interested to know what particular courses the author suggests the beauties take.

set up chains? they already exist - more research please. grocery stores? guffaw. people who patronize these stands like the convenience of a young, scantily-clad young woman bringing them what they ask for, and chatting them up for a bit. is the author seriously suggesting the equivalent of supermarkets here starting to have clerks dress in lingerie? while many (most?) guys might not argue, i don't think that is where women in the 21st century want things to go. i think owners are pretty happy with the niche markets they occupy, without trying to compete with multinationals, and razor-thin margins.

so we arrive at the last sentences. the author's premise was (appeared to be?) that betel nut serves an important role in the culture of taiwanese people, but he also states that "all those in the industry" should all join the government's efforts to support the anti-betel nut campaign ... huh? so they should actively work towards destroying the industry that they work in, even though the industry is important and beneficial? i think he lost me there somewhere ...