Betel nuts beauties 檳榔西施 (Historical figure)

Don’t get startled when you see someone spit out some bloody-red juice in Taiwan. Very likely that’s just betel nuts juice. Hold on before you call 911.

Betel nuts 檳榔(bin lang2), are seeds of a tropical plant, betel tree. They’re also called “Taiwanese chewing gum” 台灣口香糖(tai2 wan kao3 xiang tang) because many Taiwanese chew them like people do Chewing gums. Some medical researches have proved that betel nuts, especially with the additives, cause cancer. Still, you see many 紅唇族(hong2 chun2 zu2), the “red-lipped” so addicted to them. They get the name for their tongues and lips turn red after chewing betel nuts. And the blood-like juice that’s spit on the street is really not something pleasant to see.

You certainly cannot talk about betel nuts without mentioning檳榔西施 (bin lang2 xi shi), betel nut beauties. Along the sides of Taiwan’s high ways, you’ll see some neon-topped kiosks with young girls in revealing dress sitting inside wrapping betel nuts. They sell betel nuts as well as beverages. Those girls are what we call檳榔西施

It is said around 1970s, a mother decided to let her three young daughters to sell betel nuts for her. And the marketing strategy boosted their sales successfully. The other competitors followed their example and soon you saw lot of young girls taking the kiosks.

To boost their business, the girls started to work on the way they dressed. It seems the more revealingly they dress themselves, the more they sell. Sometimes they even walk out of their kiosks, waving at the passersby to get attention. Some accidents happen because the drivers are too busy doing what we call “eating ice cream with eyes.” 眼睛吃冰淇淋(yan3 jing chi bing qi2 lin2). They just can’t stop watching those girls.

I heard some of the girls even give their customers special “bonus” by letting them take their changes out of their bras. Is that part of the reasons for some people to stick to this habit that could lead to cancer?

Why use the name 西施? She was an extremely beautiful woman in the Chinese history. (506 BC-?) We use the term 沉魚落雁(chen yu2 luo4 you4) to describe her beauty, because when she looked at the fish, the fish would be so dazzle that they would stop swimming and sink. And when she looked at the birds, they would stop flying and drop.

She was offered to king of 吳(wu2) as a tribute by king of 越(yue4), an enemy of 吳. As king of 越 had expected, king of 吳 was so overwhelmed by her beauty that he forgot about his duty and ignored his state affairs, which led to his nation’s elimination.

That’s why we use her name to refer to those beautiful women. We have not only檳榔西施, but 豆腐西施(dou4 fu3 xi shi), 豆花西施(dou4 hua xi shi), or whatever西施 for those beauties who sell whatever it is.

In English you say “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” In Chinese we say 情人眼裏出西施(qing2 ren2 yan3 li3 shu xi shi) And she even have a counterpart 東施(dong shi), whom I’ll introduce to you later.

This檳榔西施 culture, whatever view you take to see it, is unique to Taiwan. When you drive past some of the kiosks and find your teenage son unable to take his eyes off those檳榔西施, you know your son has grown up. If it’s your husband-- it’s the midlife crisis.  

檳榔=槟榔

台灣=台湾

沉魚落雁=沉鱼落雁

吳=吴

情人眼裏出西施=情人眼里出西施

東施=东施