[salima]

i was told bhopal is famous for paan-or rather chewing paan. even the ladies like it-one country wedding i was at it was a nightly affair, the mother of the groom made it up for everyone.

it is the only thing in india i have tried that i dont like...maybe i should try it again???

on the other hand, indian rum rules!!! ended over twenty years of teetotaling for me. even it smells heavenly...

[wonderwomanusa]

I used to always allow myself ONE Meetha Pan from the pan wallah near the Modern Lodge in Calcutta, but on my last visit, I had broken a tooth while visiting with Salima in Bhopal and I was afraid that raw edge would turn black right away -- and you know that my dentist would murder me if I came home with black teeth!

One of the things I love about pan is that it gives me, a Western lady, a reason to spit on the street -- something we're not allowed to do here!

[pooch]

Six years ago I thought there was something wrong with me due to my Indian rum fascination. Now I see am not alone

[bijapuri]

my fave shop in India is the one around the corner from Koshy's in Bangalore. It always seems to have a bit of a line there, and was prolly the firsat one I went to, waaaaay back in 1970! I do remember the very first time I had paan- it was at Woodlands restaurant, not far from Koshy's. It came with the meal. Sadly, that rest. has really gone downhill last time I was there 2 yrs. back.

[volga_volga]

mala, I didn't spit
may be I've broken some rule?

[concoran]

Originally posted by mala
Restaurants serve paan? Where do people spit !?
When you chew paan, is spitting necessary!?

Yes, restaurents do serve meetha paan which doesn't require spitting.
Only the tobacco one's need to be spit (if you like to).

[paan wallah]

well as my nickname says I really do love paan
but not the one with tobacco(which is more one of the disgusting things in live,too strong maybe for me)
but a nice meethi paan, yeah that s perfect
especially after a meal,after breakfast,after a chai,after 10 o clock,after a nice walk,any time of the day will be fine,
concoran a meethi paan is also perfect for spitting!!!
I love the ones with cocnut,sweet cherries,cardamom,and these little coloured sugarballs inside,not to forget the sirup with gold or silver parts in it,
even tried special paan with op in it.....

I think in myanmar the people are much addicted to paan than even in india!
they really "consume" it in masses,all day all nigth,all then time
even woman chew much more paan than in india
I guess in myanmar you can see the most famous rotten teeth in the world!
but the quality is very low in myanmar,very simple,not many choices
you have to be lucky to find an indian paan wallah there..

even some years ago we had an indian supermarket in my hometown(well they were tamils from sri lanka)
at this place I could fresh leaves every week and all the other ingrediences you need to make your own home brew paan.
it was quite an experience to walk in my hometown,spitt everywhere and to see all my red spots in town

[vinayverma]

The style and way of making a Paan also varies from region & cities in India.
People from Varanasi (banaras) would swear by Banarasi paan and almost every house has their own 'family' paan walla. Last time when I was in Varanasi, I went to paan shop near Ashwamedh Ghat, I heard a lot about this shop. I asked for a saada paan. There were 3 people in shop making paan at a speed which might put modern assembly line to shame. I had to wait for 25mins for my paan ..why??? 2 buisness men form Varanasi were travelling on 15days trip to Europe and had ordered to pack 300 paan for them..!!!!!!
The paan eating is also popular in North East India..there the mass eats very basic paan with raw betul nut with paan leaf and chunna(calcium carbonate, the white stuff).
They roll the leaf, just leaf into their mouth, then in one hand they have raw betel nut (it stinks) and in other on the stm of the leaf they get Chunna and they take a bite off Betul Nut and then lick the chunna...some people say it give the kick more than a tobacco paan. It also makes you sweat a lot. The raw betel nut is called 'Tambul' in Assam and the paan is called Tambul paan.

In south India, the basic paan (which I consider a hybrid of saada and meetha paan) is called 'Beera'. Its smaller than Normal Meetha paan, mainly filled with powdered sweetened coconut, cardamom, clove, betel nut chips,...no rose petal paste and in the begining it tastes bit bitter.

Maghai paan comes from Bihar..

[virajverma]

There is also the kalkatia paan - made in a typical manner comes from parts around Kolkatta. this is made on a different type of a paan leaf. BTW there is a different taste and smell of the leaf aswell.
Lucknow - capital of the old Oudh province is well know for its paan as well. The sweetness is added by putting in rose petals which are ground in sugar and kept for long in glass bottel for the flavour and the sweetness to intermingle. This is called GULUKAND.

In places people ask for their paan by numbers " double zero, 64,120, etc " this is a paan with tobacco. Lesser the number and stronger the Tobacco.

GUYS DO YOU KNOW OF A PAAN CALLED THE " PALANG TOD" - the bed breaker......

[tapir]

Is there also paan without either tabacoo or the sugary stuff? Just the betel, perhaps some coconut and spices would be nice I think

tapir

[AvidTrekker]

The Ayurveda texts mention paan as a good post-prandial digestive mouth cleansing food. All traditional Indians have it today after meals. It is said to act towards mukha-shuddhi(mouth-purifier & bad-breath fighter). There was no tobacco in India before the Portuguese ( ? ) introduced it.

Even Shri Krishna ate paan 5000 yrs ago. Shiva is described as "having the attractive and beautified face adorned with paan stained lips" (Krishna was a person, Shiva was not).

The original paan with medicinal properties runs thus :

1. cut the top & bottom of the leaf abt 3 to 4 mm each side (one raises the libido excessively.... and the other is supposed to be toxic)(i dont know which does what)(i have eaten both) and apply slaked lime paste (just a tad)

2. apply katthaa the brown paste generously. Mix well with your finger-tip.

3. add a little supaari (areca nut)(cut preferably very small)

The traditional, poor man's version is complete.

For those who are better off :

4. add a little elaichi, cloves, jaavantri (mace ? )

5. for those having a sweet tooth, add gulkand (rose petal in sugar syrupy thick paste)

6. for those having more money, add genuine essential-oil of rose (micro drop)(called rooh gulab, its the base perfume ) or rooh khus (this is also an essential perfume oil)(both are edible and terribly expensive)(beware of fakes)

Your paan is now ready.

Fold it as artistically as possible. There used to be paan folding competitions in ancient India.

Nubile young wives used to give special aphrodisiac paans to their husbands with a lot of foreplay. There was a game btwn man and woman.... "WITHOUT using hands, who can snatch the paan from the other's lips without biting into the paan (biting the other's lip was allowed... so as to make your partner relinquish hold over the paan).

For the possible fall-out associated, sanyaasis and celibates (in Veda schools) were banned from eating paan. Married couples were exhorted to eat at least eight paans a day.

[AvidTrekker]

As mentioned in an earlier post, some cocaine is added to make a "palangtod" (bed-breaker) paan. How cocaine can make you a "bed-breaker" sort of beats me.

Another traditional method is to add "bhaang" to the paan. Now this happens to be "fried bhaang" (i haven't the foggiest idea how bhaang is "fried"). Supposed to be three times as powerful. Bhaang has a property that it makes your mind latch on to "ONLY ONE" thought. Sort of like an endless loop in computers. (saadhus use this to meditate, for the "one thought" effect. It probably works for the first four times. Then, you just add another "junkie" to the list)

Suppose that the "only one" thought is some "sexy" thought. This fried bhaang laced paan is reported to have given prolonged erections to the user. This turned painful after some time cuz the erection wouldn't deflate. Also the glans was rendered neurally "insensate". This practically meant that the man could not experience "orgasm" cuz this is a sense-driven experience, driven by the sense of "touch".

When someone asked, what is the point of this all, to bear all this pain, if you cannot even experience the "climax"? The answer was (quote)so that I can "tire-out" a hundred women(unquote). Fact was, at the end of three women the guy was experiencing a good amount of pain cuz the "erection" (ostensibly) wanted to continue "further" (had no space left?)

I have not questioned the "guy" personally. But the source is reliable. The medical guesswork is entirely mine.

Long ago, I have had "bhaang" in small doses, it gave me a ravenous appetite. The "fried bhaang" I have had only once. It gave me a continuous feeling as if my "mind" is going "round and round" in a vertical plane. I was extremely uncomfortable even if I lay on the bed. Sleep refused to come. Finally a doctor had to be called and he induced vomitting, which made me feel better.

These experiences are mentioned with the object of dissuading any person who may be thinking of having a bhaang laced paan.

[AvidTrekker]

The meethaa means "sweet". This comes from sugar. If you minus the gulkand (which is a mixture of rose petals + sugar) you have a paan which has less than 50 calories.

[dumb_bacchus]

Indore - Madhya Pradesh

There is this show which is 100+ year old known as Anna kaa Pan. Its located in the heart of the city at Raj Badaa. The amazing things about this shop is that it has not been closed even a single day in past 100 years. For this reason it has no door's. You can get pan's 24X7. And his speciality is that this guy puts the pan in your mouth with his own hands - he believes that the possition of pan in your mouth is as critical as the ingridiants in the pan.

[Nick-H]

And does he refer you to a good mouth cancer specialist afterwards?

Sorry, but...