In PNG people chew betel nut as a “pick me up”. Betel nut or buai, as it’s called in tok pisin, could be compared to a cigarette. A quick fix. This manual is to train people who would like to chew betel nut, in chewing betel nut.

Before you want to chew betel nut you have to get the necessary ingredients.

On the photo you see on your left the mustard (daka), in the middle betel nut (buai) and on the right you can see lime (kambang). Lime is crushed and heated coral. If you buy betel nut you get the daka with it. Lime you have to carry with you or borrow some from the person you buying it from.
So we start of by breaking the betel nut open. You do this with your teeth.

In the middle you’ll find a meaty centre which you get out.

You now put this in your mouth and start chewing it. It will give of a white juice. As a beginner it’s not advised to swallow this. Rather spit it out. If the betel nut is crumbled up, it will look like this.

Now it’s time to add the mustard with the lime. You moisten the end of the mustard and dip it in the lime.

Gather the betel nut in one side of your mouth and put the mustard with the lime into the wad of beetle nut. Bite off the tip of the mustard that contains the lime on it. Do not put it on your tongue or gums, because it will feel burned afterwards.

Repeat this 3 to 4 times until the mixture is red like this.

If you have excess saliva spit it out.

Now you know why I thought PNG was very violent the first 2 days. Blood splatters everywhere.