As a native of Hunan, I have been eating betel nuts since primary school in my hometown. Now I often go on business trips. But the hundreds of thousands of kilometers drive is really boring. I don't chew anything to amuse myself. I feel it is a long time to arrive at the destination. I will feel sleepy after driving for a long time. If I need one, I will be energetic immediately.
1、 Areca catechu is a specialty of Xiangtan. It is a kind of plant chewing gum for leisure food. It has the function of relieving difficulties and refreshing people
When I travel, I often take a few bags of betel nuts to put in my pocket. When I feel bored and sleepy, I chew one. It feels good, and I feel refreshed instantly. It is not unreasonable to call it plant chewing gum.
On a business trip to Qinghai, I gave my friend a bag of betel nuts to taste the specialties of Hunan, but my friend was surprised and asked me what betel nuts are? I replied: This is a good thing. Many people in Hunan are eating this food. It is also indispensable for the Spring Festival and weddings and funerals in my hometown.
At dinner, I poured a glass of beer and then put a betel nut into the beer to soak it. The friend asked why. I said that this betel nut with wine tastes more comfortable. So my friend did it my way. After drinking, we were all eating betel nuts. I asked my friend what it was like? He said it was OK. It tasted good, but it was a bit strong. Before long, he became red and sweated all over. He said that betel nut was too strong, so I burst out laughing.
2、 It is a long-standing custom to eat betel nuts in Xiangtan. Men, women and young people all eat betel nuts on the streets
After dinner, I talked while eating, so I introduced betel nuts to my friends. The custom of chewing betel nut in Hunan has been nearly 400 years. I gave my friend a simple story about betel nut:
According to the popular version, in the first month of 1650, the Qing army slaughtered the city in Xiangtan on the ninth day after entering the Shanhaiguan Pass. There were no more than 100 dead people left. A plague broke out in the local area. An elderly monk hoped that foreign businessmen would stay and help bury the body. To prevent the spread of the plague, the old monk told everyone to chew to prevent the spread of the plague. Before long, the plague did not spread in the dead city, and soon regained its vitality. The custom of chewing betel nuts spread from here. So it is not surprising to see men, women and children eating betel nuts on the streets and lanes of Xiangtan. "Xiangtan people are a treasure, and their mouths are full of grass", which is very well explained.
3、 Areca catechu is a kind of traditional Chinese medicine. It has the function of producing fluid, relieving oil and expelling insects
What is betel nut? In fact, it is a kind of traditional Chinese medicine. It has a history of more than 1000 years, which is the first of China's four major southern medicines. As early as in ancient times, it has been used to boil water for oral use, which has the effect of killing insects, expelling insects and removing moisture.
In fact, areca is an agricultural product of Hainan, which is not produced in Xiangtan, but processed into various flavor products from the dried areca fruit transported from Hainan. At the beginning, the smoked fruit is called tobacco fruit or black fruit, and then it is cut into carefully prepared brine, packaged with plastic bags, and sold on the streets. Qingguo exquisite areca is also popular in recent years.
A friend asked why many people eat areca? Many friends like to take one after dinner, which can achieve the effect of relieving oil; When you have no taste in your mouth, you will have a sweet aroma in your mouth. The more you eat, the more you enjoy it; It is also based on the fact that the custom of eating betel nut has been popularized. After a hundred years of inheritance, there are many people.
Moreover, many migrant workers from Hunan have brought betel nuts, which has affected the friends around them to eat; There are also many students studying in Hunan who have stayed for three or four years and like to eat betel nuts from the beginning.
I have an alumnus from Xinjiang who has studied in Xiangtan University for four years and has formed the habit of eating betel nuts. Now he eats more than I do, and can't stop eating. He calls me every other month or two and asks me to send him betel nuts.
Through this way of transmission, it has now spread in various provinces in China, especially in Hubei, Henan, Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. The population grows by 30% every year. Why do you think many people eat betel nuts? This is the root cause.
