48ste dag => Vietse legende

Vandaag moet Damien de presentatie geven voor Dr. Hungs lab. Daarbij zullen enkele studenten aanwezig zijn alsook Dr. Lan en Dr. Steenhaut. De presentatie moet in vloeiend Engels gegeven worden, wat problemen zal opleveren voor de meeste studenten. Dat moet pas in de namiddag en we profiteren van de gelegenheid om even op te zoeken wat die trau cau eigenlijk is. Wel, we gaan even iedereen laten genieten van een stukje algemene cultuur:

Trầu cau

The Betel (Piper betle) is a spice whose leaves have medicinal properties.

The leaves are chewed together with the mineral slaked lime (calcium hydroxide = gebluste kalk) and the areca nut which, by association, is sometimes inaccurately called the "betel nut".

The betel and areca also play an important role in Vietnamese culture. In Vietnamese there is a saying that "the betel begins the conversation", referring to the practice of people chewing betel in formal occasions or "to break the ice" in awkward situational conversations.

The betel leaves and areca nuts are used ceremonially in traditional Vietnamese weddings as well. Based on a folk tale about the origins of these plants, the groom traditionally offer the bride's parents betel leaves and areca nuts (among other things) in exchange for the bride. In more agricultural parts of Vietnam, betel leaves and areca juices start the talk between the groom's parents and the bride's parents about the young couple's marriage.

The betel and areca are such important symbols of love and marriage such that in Vietnamese the phrase "matters of betel and areca" (chuyện trầu cau) is synonymous with marriage.

Here is the folk tale explaining the origin of this Vietnamese tradition:

Story of the betel leaf and the areca nut

There were two twin brothers of the Cao family. Their names were Tan for the eldest brother, and Lang for the youngest one. They got schooling with a Taoist named Chu Chu who lived with his eighteen-year old daughter. He then married her to Tân, and the young couple lived their conjugal life happily. But, Lang found out that his brother treated him less intimately since he got married. In fact, Lang left the house wandering around the country. He reached a larger river and couldn't cross it. Not even a small boat was in the vicinity to transport him to the other side of the river. He was so sad that he kept on weeping till death and was transformed into a lime-stone lying by the river side.

Troubled by the long absence of his brother, Tân went out to look for him. When he reached the riverside he sat on the lime-stone and died by exhaustion and weariness. He was transformed into an areca tree. The young woman in turn was upset by the long absence of her husband and got out for a search. She reached the same place where the areca tree had grown, leaned against the tree and died, transformed into a plant with large piquant leaves climbing on the areca tree. Hearing of this tragic love story, local inhabitants in the area set up a temple to their memory.

One day, King Hùng went by the site and gained knowledge of this story from local people. He ordered his men to take and ground together a leaf of betel, an areca nut and a piece of lime. A juice as red as human blood was squeezed out from the melange. He tasted the juice and found it delicious. Then he recommended the use of betel chewed along with areca nut and lime at every marital ceremony. From this time on, chewing betel became a custom for Vietnamese, and very often they began their conversation with a quid of betel.

Properties

The lime acts to keep the active ingredient of the betel leaf in its freebase or alkaline form, thus enabling it to enter the bloodstream via sublingual absorption. The areca nut contains the alkaloid arecoline, which promotes salivation (the saliva is stained red), and is itself a stimulant. This combination, known as a "betel quid", has been used for several thousand years. Tobacco is sometimes added.

Because of its strong basic properties, calcium hydroxide has varied uses, such as

• A flocculant, in water and sewage treatment and improvement of acid soils
• An ingredient in whitewash (paint), mortar, and plaster
• An alkali used as a lye substitute in no-lye hair relaxers
• A chemical depilatory agent found in Nair
• A chemical reagent
• In the reef aquarium hobby for adding bio-available calcium in solution for calcium-using animals such as algae, snails, hard tube worms, and Corals (often referred to as Kalkwasser mix)
• In the tanning industry for neutralization of extra acid
• In the petroleum refining industry for the manufacture of additives to oils (salicatic, sulphatic, fenatic)
• In the chemical industry for manufacture of calcium stearate
• In the food industry for processing water (for alcoholic and soft drinks)
• For clearing a brine of carbonates of calcium and magnesium in the manufacture of salt for food and pharmacopoeia
• In Native American and Latin American cooking, calcium hydroxide is called "cal". Corn cooked with cal becomes nixtamal which significantly increases its nutrition value, and is also considered tastier and easier to digest.
• In chewing Betel nut or coca leaves, calcium hydroxide is usually chewed alongside to keep the alkaloid stimulants chemically available for absorption by the body
• A filler
• In the petrochemical industry for manufacturing solid oil of various marks
• In the manufacture of brake pads
• In the manufacture of ebonite
• For preparation of dry mixes for painting and decorating
• In manufacturing mixes for pesticides
• In manufacturing a drug called "Polikar" for fighting decay (due to fungus) of fruits and vegetables during storage
• A dressing in paste form used for anti-microbial effect during a dental root canal procedure.

Health risks

An overdose of Calcium hydroxide can have dangerous symptoms, including

• Difficulty in breathing
• Internal bleeding
• Hypotension
• Skeletal muscle paralysis, interference with actin-myosin system.
• An increase in blood pH, which is damaging to the internal organs.

Effects of the areca nut

Carcinogenicity

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) regards betel nut to be a known human carcinogen. In countries and communities where betel is consumed extensively, there are vastly higher levels of oral cancer, and in Asian countries where it is consumed, oral cancer forms up to 50% of malignant cancers. Betel nut chewers in Taiwan were found to have a twenty-eight times higher risk of acquiring oral cancer. In addition, the mixing with chewing tobacco provides the same dangerous properties as normal chewing tobacco. Although a substantial proportion of the cancers are caused by the tobacco rather than the betel nut and leaves in the quid, according to WHO, betel chewing without tobacco also leads to cancer of the mouth.

Teeth

Regular betel chewing causes the teeth and gums to be stained red. It is believed to reduce the incidence of cavities, and toothpastes were once produced containing betel extracts. However, the increase in mouth ulcers and gum deterioration (leading to total loss of teeth) caused by betel chewing outweigh any positive effects.
Extensive use colour the teeth black. In Vietnam, woman used to be considered to be a beauty ideal if they had black teeth. This habit is still popular amongst the elderly, but there is some alarming news released from the BHP (Bureau of Health Promotion) which shows that the habit of betel nut chewing is entering younger age groups and spreading across different professions.

Habit-forming

Betel chewing is addictive, and some practitioners consume vast quantities. The government of Pakistan has ruled that packets of betel nut must carry health warnings similar to those on cigarette packs, reports Asiaweek magazine. The magazine notes that millions of people in southern Asia are addicted to pan masala, a mixture of betel nut and various oils and other ingredients wrapped in a betel leaf. This is meant to be chewed. India had already placed warnings on packets of betel nut because of a reported link with cancer of the mouth. Children have also been known to choke to death on betel nut. Pakistan’s new laws will forbid the selling of betel nut to children under five years of age. At one stage during the early 2000 period betel nut was being offered in nightclubs in S.E Australia at an alarming rate. Prices ranged from $1-2 per nut. Its street name is "hurry".

Other harmful effects

According to Medline Plus, "Long-term use has been associated with oral submucous fibrosis (OSF), pre-cancerous oral lesions and squamous cell carcinoma. Acute effects of betel chewing include asthma exacerbation, hypertension, and tachycardia. There may be a higher risk of cancers of the liver, mouth, esophagus, stomach, prostate, cervix, and lung with regular betel use. Other effects can include a possible effect on blood sugar levels, possibly increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes.

When done regularly, betel chewing is considered likely to have harmful effects on health including cancers of the stomach and mouth and damage to gums. Whether this is due to, or exacerbated by, lime being used in betel preparations and the addition of tobacco (in the case of gutka) or other impurities is open to question. It is well known in betel consuming countries that various items, such as opiates and tobacco, can be added to betel preparations to increase the addictive properties, and thus to bolster sales.

Positive effects

MedlinePlus indicates "poor-quality research" showing a possible beneficial effect for sufferers of anaemia during pregnancy. However, it counsels against betel nut chewing due a possible risk of spontaneous abortions. It also indicates "poor-quality studies" showing a possible beneficial effect on schizophrenia and for stroke recovery.

Voila. Als je het allemaal in die volgorde leest, zoals wij gedaan hebben, dan heb je zowat het idee van hoe we ons voelden bij het lezen van dit wikipediaartikeltje… Ik denk dat we Trau cau zullen vermijden in het vervolg...

Maar bon, de presentatie verloopt netjes en snel. Dr. Hung kon het niet laten even zijn technologische snufjes te tonen aan Damien, en passant. Knap zijn ze wel. Die man bereikt wel het ene en het andere.

Na deze presentatie moeten we snel snel iets gaan drinken met de proffen omdat Dr. Steenhaut nog een vergadering heeft hierna. Dr. Hung neemt het heft hier in handen. Onderweg naar de taxi komen we Dr. Hue tegen die ons vraagt hoe het trouwfeest was. En daarbij zien we Dr. Lan kronkelen van verrassing bij het horen van het gedoe met Trau Cau. Zo hebben we haar nog nooit gezien en alleen dat is een een videootje waard. We zijn echter gehaast, dus zullen we later wel verder spreken met Dr. Hue.

Het cafetje waar Dr. Hung ons brengt is bekend bij de zakenmannen hier. Het is gelegen in een straat vol restaurants bereikbaar voor de middenklasse. Het is best gezellig. Dr. Steenhaut doet haar best lof uit te spreken voor Dr. Hung om hem aan te sporen te proberen zijn werkgrenzen uit te breiden. Zijn projecten kunnen in de industrie echt iets betekenen. Ze vertelt ook dat ze trots is op onze geestesinstelling hier in Vietnam. Trots dat haar studentjes zo hun best doen om te integreren.

We blijven hier nog een half uurtje zitten en dan gaan we terug naar de HUT om onze laptop op te halen. We nemen afscheid van Dr. Steenhaut die we niet meer gaan zien.

Die avond houden we het rustig. We eten iets duurder bij de kinderen in het soort frietkot. Ze zijn nog altijd heel blij als ze van ons enkele woordjes Engels horen, maar ze zijn ons ook een beetje gewoon. We weten in elk geval hoe we niet 8 frietjes moeten bestellen. Daarna, uit gewoonte, gaan we weer eentje drinken bij Lan. Ze heeft het echter enorm druk. We slagen er toch in correct af te spreken voor morgen om 20u. Phuc wil ons graag zien en misschien kunnen we er gelijk Lan bij nemen.

Die avond zien we nog Chris, die zo als gewoonlijk nogal mysterieus doet. Ze wil op de gang spreken en terwijl ze kijkt naar gevallen bloemblaadjes spreekt ze over liefde, eenzaamheid en dergelijke.