Paan as Pastime

               

Since my early days learning about desi culture and immersing myself in it, I’ve been intrigued with the phenomenon of paan, which I’m told is a very noticeable aspect of a trip to India or Pakistan, whether it comes through visiting a paanwalla’s kiosk on a street corner or walking past a wall streaked red with betel-nut spittle. I remember thinking at first that it was a dirty and unhealthy habit to chew paan (which it is in some aspects, such as the aforementioned spit-stained wall and the possibility of cancer with continuous exposure to betel-nut), but I was curious to try it out, especially in college, and I eventually asked my friend at the nearest desi grocery store if he carried paan leaves and chuna (lime paste), which he did. Ever since, I generally find myself buying a few leaves for a leisurely weekend about once a month, decorating them with chuna and packets of paan masala and supari.

            What is there that is so appealing to me about paan? Part of it is the taste, not of plain leaves, but of a paan leaf filled with the various pastes and flavors. I’ve always loved the taste of flavored packets of betel-nuts (my favorite brands being Tara or Rasily alongside the fennel-and-date-filled Shahi Deluxe paan masala). I’ve also been fond of the slightly narcotic effect of a good paan, enhanced by a small wad of chewing tobacco, which has a relaxing effect on a weekend after a day of work, making me feel as though I can float above the mundane. Another part of my taste for paan is cultural, since I feel a kinship with my fellow desis with whom I share my Hindi/Urdu and Panjabi, and I feel that I should ground myself further in desi culture through various cultural practices, and it differentiates me from the rest of the goras who don’t and don’t care to partake in desi lifestyle. Despite this, I’m well aware of the health risks of chewing paan, and because of this I’m also cautious about how often I chew it, which is not as often as I used to do, and yet, it is still one of the myriad bonds I have with desi culture.