Episode 68 • • 1:01:47 - 1:05:20
68: Crackpot & The Buzz-Kill
Betel Nut Culture, Taiwan Motor Scooters
Observations from Taipei in the late 1980s describe a culture of motor scooter riders fueled by betel nut juice, which leaves red stains on the streets. A personal experience with the stimulant at a hill tribe describes it as a short-lived "elevator high" that turns the mouth red. The nut is used as an upper by workers and drivers throughout Southeast Asia.