檳榔

choi

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(1) The term 檳榔 is used in Taiwan. 檳榔 is said to be the transliteration
of "pinang"--the word in both Malaysia and Indonesia, where the plant
reportedly originated.

(2) It is commonly referred to as "betel nut," which is considered a minomer
. See
Areca nut
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Areca_nut
("The Areca nut is the seed of the Areca palm (Areca catechu) * * * for
chewing, a few slices of the nut are wrapped in a Betel [sic] leaf along
with lime and may include clove, cardamom, catechu (kattha), etc. for extra
flavouring. Betel leaf has a fresh, peppery taste, but it can be bitter
depending on the variety")

(a) Pay only attention to the graphic titled "Areca nut and betel leaf
consumption in the world." Few people in China consume it.
(b) Therefore, according to Wikipedia, betel leaf is "the leaf of a vine."

(3) An overview of arena nut in Taiwan:

Betel nut chewing proves a tough habit to crack. Taiwan Headlines, Apr. 6,
2006.
http://www.taiwan.com.au/Soccul/Services/Health/2006/0406.html

Note: The report states, "In 2004, Taiwan's betel nut industry had an output
worth NT$11.5 billion [about $300 million]--the nation's second biggest
crop [in value], after rice." Roughly 10% of adults in Taiwan egularly use
it.

(4) 王蜀桂, 台灣檳榔四季青. 出版社：常民文化（吳氏總經銷）, 1999.
http://p7834067.myweb.hinet.net/BINLANG1.HTM

(a) Why is Arena nut popular among Taiwanese farmers?

"屏東農民改種檳榔，是民國六十年以後的事，五溝村是發源地，直到民國七十年以後
，種檳榔才變成農民的共識。長久以來，種稻一分地，情況最好時，一期只能收到五千
元。同樣一分地，種檳榔至少有二～三萬元收入，價格好的時候（早生種），一分地甚
至高達十萬元以上。雖說種檳榔也要管理，施肥、除草、噴藥等工作，可是和稻米相比
，老實說省工不少，而它的投資報酬率卻大多了，農民當然選擇檳榔。

(b) Evolution of harvesting:

"林老師剛做檳榔中盤生意時，採收檳榔必須爬樹；後來有人將鐮刀綁在長竹竿上，但
是仍不理想；需要為發明之母，終於有人從釣魚竿找到靈感，以玻璃纖維做伸縮竿，鐮
刀插在竿上，一枝雖貴到好幾千元，可是因為方便、好用，深受農戶的喜愛。

(4) Details of harvest:

(a) "A large, muscular man, Tsai nonetheless looks tiny striding through the
betel-nut orchard. When his sharp eyes pick out a tree with ripe fruit, he
extends his telescoping scythe and brings a bunch of betel nuts tumbling
down with a single swipe. He catches the bunch, tosses it back to his
assistant, then re-extends his scythe to go after another. Wielding the 13-
meter, four-kilogram scythe nonstop, Tsai harvests an entire two-hectare
orchard in an hour. After delivering the fruits of his labor to his
distribution center, he sets off to harvest another of his orchards. With
several hundred swipes of his telescoping scythe, Tsai manages to cover more
than ten hectares in just one morning."
Coral Lee, Betel--A Hard Nut to Crack. Taiwan Panorama 台灣光華雜誌, August
2008.
http://www.sino.gov.tw/en/print.php?id=200889708034e.txt&table=2

(b) 陳鳳麗, 鄉代心血 割菁仔免濺血. Liberty Times, Oct. 16, 2007.
http://www.libertytimes.com.tw/2007/new/oct/16/today-so12.htm

Note: 鄉代 is short for 鄉民代表.

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