The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1889-05-29
SLAVES OF THE BETEL NUT.
PECULIARITIEs AND DAILY LIFE
OF THE SIAMESE.
Feminine Beauty Marred-Bathers in
the River "Reminiscences Chill
dren-Floating Homes.

penUeT from Dlall, Is natlVe OF Old1,
and immense quantities of them are ex-
ported to India and other countries where
the chewing of it prevails. 1t has green
skin and is of the size of a black walnut.
1t is sold in pieces the size of a hickory
nut and is of a soft, spongy nature, hav-
ing bitter astringent taste. The Siam
ese mix it with lime colored red and bit
of tobacco. The red lime is wrapped up in
green leaves, and every one in the
country has a betel box near him. He
chews and spits all day long, and it is
said that this habit costs the people fully
as much as their food. 1t has much the
same effect as tobacco in that it takes
away hunger and produces a stimulating
and soothing sensation. 1t is used every
where and the bridegroom gives a pres
ent of betel nuts to his bride. Babies are
given it and | saw young Siamese boy
of ten squirting betel juice between his
teeth and aiming at Il mark. 1t is vile,
filthy habit and it turns the Siamese from
moderately handsome nation into most
ugly one.
The Siamese girls have beautiful eyes
and the plump, olive CHECKS of maidens of
fifteen would be very attractive were it
not for the betel. Their eyes are black,
lustrous and full of soul. Many of them
are peddlars, and they sit in the long,
narrow canoe-like boats and paddle along
their wares from house to house. They
seem to be the managers of the store and
these river shops of Bangkok are out of
the water and the maiden storekeeper
squats down on the floor with her goods
all around her and with her betel box and
tobacco beside her Her husband is usu-
ally lying in back room or loating. Her
stock is very small, and there is nothing
for the foreigner to buy. The wants of
the people are few. Siamese washing
takes neither soap nor starch, and vege-
tables and rice constitute the most of the
food of the people. When they want a
dainty they take a little raw, rotten fish
and mix it with their curry, and the ma
jority of them do not know what meat is.
The Siamese wash their clothes and
their bodies at the same time, and this
River Menam is always full of bathers.
The girls step down into the water and
roll about like mermaids. The men battle
in the same way, and they delight in
taking a vessel and filing it with water
and standing or sitting on the wharves
of their houses and raising it high above
their heads and letting the cool stream
pour over their warm persons. After
they have had bath they stand a minute
to let themselves dry, then slipping
another cloth loosely about the waist,
over their wet garment, they let the other
fall to the floor, wiring it out and dry it
for second wearing. In the evening you
see this bathing going on everywhere, and
the playground of the children of Bang
kok is in the river.
Children Of the poorer classes under
ten wear no clothing, but nearly every
baby and every boy or girl has gold or
silver jewelry upon its body. The most
of the children have anklets and brace
lets, as well as necklaces of gold or silver,
and the boys wear around their waists Il
string of charms of silver and stones,
while the girls have simply string, to
the centre of which silver or gold
heart, perhaps two inches in diameter,
hangs down. OF late the children of the
better classes, those of the princes and
mobiles, have taken to wearing bands of
woven gold and silver about the waist,
and as l patted the son of the Governor
of the city on the head yesterday, Inoted
that around his waistcloth of bright green
silk was buckled heavy silver belt of
woven links, at least an inch wide, and
of the most beautiful workmanship.
The children seem to be quite as happy,
however, as though they had pantaloons,
vest, underwear and overcoats, and the
music of their voices is as sweet here On
the waters of the Menam as it is any
where. On their floating homes they
have not more than ten or fifteen square
feet as play ground, and many of them
have never been upon the land.
These floating homes are more like cot
tages or huts than houses, the average
size Of them is three rooms, and you could
set one roof all down within good-sized
American parlor. First, there is an outer
ledge covered with a roof and open to
the river. Inside there is kitchen and
bedroom. They have no windows, and
in Bangkok l don't suppose there are a
hundred panes of window glass. The
climate is so warm that the people want
every breath Of air they can get, and
when you pack the survivors of two or
three generations of one family into one of
these huts you have no need Of either win
dows or doors. There are no chairs in
these floating homes. The people sleep
upon mats, or straw, or skins, and their
pillows are stuffed with cotton or are mere
pieces of wood.
A Siamese kitchen has no chimney and
the people never need a base-burner.
The cooking is all done over Goals in a
box filled with earth or ashes, and the
chief culinary articles are a rice pot,
kettle and a frying pan. Many of the
eatables are bought cooked, and the rice
is first boiled and then set to steam in an
earthen pot. Rice forms the bread of the
country, and the Siamese knows nothing
of the after joys Of the underdone Ameri-
can pie or the oily Boston baked beans
These Siamese girls never learn how to
make cake or pudding; they have roasts
and no soups. They squat on the floor,
around little table no more than foot
high, when they eat, and each put her
own hands into the common dish and
picks out the morsel which pleases her.
In eating rice they put the whole hand