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.

The Food...and Pet Food...Taster

Plenty of folks have heard of food tasters. It seems like a dream job, right? Come into work and eat your heart out. No sweat.

Despite being partially true, what some people don't realize is the systematic nature of the job.

Tasters are often confined to controlled environments. Meat tasting might mean being confined to a small booth lit by a dim, red light. The confinement is meant to cancel out any unwanted distractions, and the red lighting serves to camouflage how cooked the meat is. Summoning their full sensory perceptions, tasters take their time...well...tasting. Samples are almost always spat out.

For Godiva taster Jennifer Koen, her job sometimes requires sampling up to 50 pieces of chocolate a day.

"You need to like chocolate to like this job. Luckily I do," said Koen in an interview with Fox News.

"Eating chocolate is a pleasure in life. It's like sex--you love it but sometimes you need a little break."

The ongoing trait with tasters is their commitment to food quality. A few have even ventured into cuisines where human taste buds have rarely gone before.


Have you ever wondered how companies just know how chicken alfredo dog or cat snacks taste like chicken alfredo?

Meet Simon Allison, the man with a palate for pet food.

The owner of three cats, Allison's job title is senior food technologist for Marks & Spencer, a major British retailer. All pet food taste tests are conducted by him. That means Allison spends his work days smelling, chewing and spitting out a medley of feline and canine food samples.

Whereas most folks cringe at his job, Allison relishes it--just as much as he relishes his favorite cat entree: the organic luxury chicken dinner with vegetables.

The salary for food tasters varies greatly (usually starting from $30k), but if you are in the mood for a career change--and a wacky career change at that, hone your taste buds and see where they take you!

The Vietnamese Coffee Shop Business

Vietnamese men are usually hush-hush about it around their wives.

The non-Vietnamese curious are slowly catching onto the drift.

And the girls?

They look like your next door neighbor--albeit very attractive--but once they get to work, it's all miniskirts and lingerie with them.

No, we are not talking about strip joints or go-go dancers. This, in all its lack of conservative Vietnamese culture, is the booming coffee shop business.

With its roots in Little Saigon, Vietnamese coffee shops have spread to other areas like Fountain Valley and the densely Vietnamese-populated San Jose. The formula is simple: take a traditional cafe and spruce it up with multiple plasma TV screens, keeno booths and several scantily-clad baristas strolling around serving unlimited free iced tea.


Curiously, most if not all coffee shops allow indoor smoking, which makes you wonder about the "no smoking" sign often displayed out front. The exception is probably to facilitate the deep-seated smoking habits of Vietnamese men. In other words, no smoking means less business.

Drinks usually include ca phe sua da--Vietnamese iced coffee made with sweet condensed milk and chicory--juice, tea and fancy smoothies. No alcohol is served, which probably reflects Vietnamese men's fondness for enjoying a glass of ca phe sua da with a smoke. Drinks start from $4.


Along with a loyal Vietnamese following, coffee shops are enjoying the steady increase of non-Vietnamese patrons, partly due to a similar rise in non-Vietnamese baristas. The girls usually walk in stilettos throughout their shifts, but the tips and atmosphere keep some girls serving drinks for years.

Profit from coffee shops is debatable, but the popularity of sexy women serving coffee and tea has proven to be a winning formula. Even Fox News was in on the buzz, as you can see here.

Obviously, some categorize the job of a coffee shop barista as seedy. It is not the most honorable job out there, but it is a job, and to some women, it is what pays the bills.


Photo credit: Leonard Ortiz, The Orange County Register

The Taiko Master

Back in the ‘80s, movies like “The Karate Kid” and “Bloodsport” continued to excite martial arts enthusiasts long after the death of Bruce Lee. I was no exception. Stints in various martial arts filled my teenage years.

The reality, however, was sparring partners often sent my puny frame sprawling across the mat.

“Damn,” I would think to myself. “It’s probably time to find another hobby.”

Eventually I stumbled on something called taiko.

Literally translated as “big drum,” taiko has its roots in ancient Japan. Beating massive drums signified celebration — or the advent of war. Hundreds of years later, people are pounding on the instruments as a musical art form.

The popular brand of taiko today is ensemble drumming — and that is what I live, eat and breathe. If I could ditch my mundane retail job today, I would play taiko full-time.

DON! DON! Do-go-do-go DON!

Taiko is as much a visual treat as it is an audio masterpiece. Unlike usual percussion where people don’t break a sweat, taiko drumming extends a great deal of energy through strenuous movements. Most often, players take on low stances that are tiring on the knees. Not only do drummers get a workout, but the resulting coordinated mix of graceful yet powerful movements is an awe to behold.

In recent years, taiko groups have popped up in California, especially. Several universities have resident taiko clubs, including CSULB’s fledgling Umi Daiko. I have been practicing and performing with Long Beach-based Kokoro Taiko Kai for a few years.

Hopefully, if taiko makes it big like the martial arts boom of the ‘80s, I might just sellout on retail and pound on taiko for a living!

The Full-time Vlogger

Welcome! Feel free to grab some popcorn, sit back and enjoy the first installment of…

“If I could quit my day job, I would (insert dream job here)!”

Many years ago in Mrs. Baty's fifth grade classroom, I was an awkward little Asian kid without much passion for anything besides Katherine and Cindy whom I never had the guts to make moves on. Kiddie crushes aside, I had a knack for artistic creativity, but shyness left much of it in the basement.

One fateful day toward semester's end, the teacher assigned groups to perform skits. Anxiety gripped my puny frame. The next thing I knew, however, my group had the entire class laughing. I felt good about myself. I felt really good.

Nearly 20 years later, the creative juices are still flowing.

If I could quit my dreary retail job, I would become a full-time vlogger! Writing scripts, acting, directing and editing videos onto YouTube? Heck yes! I often find myself conjuring silly sketch ideas at the most random times -- usually when waking up or brushing my teeth. It is weird, but it's crazy fun!

Why video blogging, you ask? Down the road, venturing into the professional entertainment industry makes more sense. It's more lucrative, the job is generally more stable, and people will take you more seriously. Besides, cracking the entertainment industry is like trying to get a hot blond to dance with an Asian guy at a club. Trust me. I've tried.

The beauty of amateur video production, like the millions of videos seen on YouTube, is the flexibility you can work with. There is little to no red tape. You get to set your own schedule. No one is there to say, "Ron, that is the shittiest idea I have ever heard of. Have you ever danced with a hot blond chick?"

Then of course, there is reality. When was the last time you heard of someone making millions from YouTube videos? Nowadays, there is a phenomenon called YouTube Partners where prolific users can monetize their accounts through banner ads and co-marketing opportunities. The potential is there, but for Average Joes like me, perhaps we should still stick with our mundane retail jobs. In other words, full-time vlogging sounds way cool, but until folks are making millions en masse, it is still but a dream.

Anyone hitting up a club later?