The Betel Nut Beauty

Sex sells. If you can't get away with selling sex -- then sell something sexy.

The conservatism of Asia has curiously spawned a backlash of raunchy subcultures. Japan's porn industry is the world's largest. Thailand boasts Asia's largest sex market. Even the Vietnamese, after uprooting from the motherland, have reinvented coffee shops in local Westminster, California.

If grading on wackiness, Taiwan undoubtedly takes the cake.

Enter the world of betel nuts and the "betel nut beauty" subculture.

About the size of a walnut, betel nuts contain arecoline -- a mild stimulant that affects the nervous system. Additives and sometimes tobacco are added to the nut before being wrapped in areca leaf. Producing a crimson fluid when chewed, the nut is messy and addictive.

Betel nuts have been blamed for soil erosion and oral cancer, but while the government and health officials shake their heads in disdain, the betel nut beauty phenomenon is keeping business booming.

At first glance, especially for foreigners, the sight of skimpy girls sitting inside neon-lighted glass cubicles suggests prostitution. Sadly, the assumption is sometimes true, but for the most part, the young women in mini skirts and lingerie are betel nut vendors. They are colloquially referred to as bin lang xi shi -- named after a famous beauty in ancient Chinese lore.

Many of the scantily-clad vendors are just 16 to 18 years old. For those seeking a way to make easy cash, selling betel nuts half-naked is what puts the rice on the table. The more revealing the outfits, the greater the chances of attracting loyal customers.

Industry estimates put the number of cubicles at roughly 100,000. At its peak during the early part of this decade, the betel nut market was saturated to the point where four cubicles would be contending for business on one side of a city block. Cubicle names such as Sexual Fire Hot Girls (Xing Gan Huo La Mei) enticed a healthy dose of customers. Some cubicles went so far as to showcase pole dancing -- in plain view of the public.

Eventually, Taiwanese officials had had enough, or so they said. In 2002, efforts to ban the glass kiosks were speedily dismissed, although one city was successful in passing a "no buttocks, no breasts, no bellies" law.

Currently, the effectiveness of that law is debatable. Girls continue to sell betel nuts via micro skirts and see-through dresses -- in hopes of financial security, and possibly, better times down the road.

The Coupon Scammer

In the world of Little Known Wacky Jobs, there are some unofficial livelihoods that fall between the cracks of our honest income system. Coupon scamming is the latest trend in these dire economic times.

Most folks think coupon scamming involves manufacturing fraudulent coupons, but after working in retail for a few years, I have grown quite familiar with a lesser known form of scamming -- and it really, really irks me because the majority of these scammers are my Vietnamese brethren. I can just imagine what goes through their head as they approach the returns counter.

"Hello! Me scam you long time! You take more coupons today!"

The process is quite simple. Find legitimate coupons, cut them out from ads, purchase the coupon items at the store and then return everything at the returns counter.


To my knowledge, no stores adjust the return amount to reflect coupon prices. That means scammers get the regular sale price for the returns. Why is that allowed? I am not sure. Ultimately, the coupon provider will reimburse the store, and obviously, coupon scammers will not strike it rich -- but just the thought of someone making money dishonestly annoys me.

It annoys me even more when I am facilitating their seedy ways and cannot technically deny them.

Coupon scammers usually do not make much effort to hide their operations. The return items are largely the same: razors, vitamins, shampoo, teeth whitening strips.... When asked why are they returning the items, the answer is often, "I no need this much," or "My mom no want."

Seriously? How coincidental is it that a bunch of older Vietnamese people come into a store and return the same bagful of items on a weekly basis?

Coupon scamming is truly a gross disservice to honest people trying to make ends meet. Why anyone would stoop that low really just boggles my mind.