Tuesday April 25, 2006
Nutty Signs
Most signs have a sort of universality about them: the male/female symbols that denote toilets, the non-smoking sign, etc are instantly recognisable anywhere in the world.
But this sign took me some time to figure out.
[Image from http://www.ling.su.se/staff/evali/simuk.htm]
I first saw it while waiting in line to get through Immigration at Jackson International Airport, and wondered for a few minutes why they would put up a sign specifically forbidding grenades!
Once outside the airport, it dawned on me that the red spit marks everywhere and the sign were both a tribute to betel nut.
Betel nut (known as buai locally) makes it’s presence felt everywhere: people selling it on the footpath, signs forbidding people to sell it on the footpath, signs forbidding people to chew (and spit) betel nut, ugly red splashes all over the road and footpath. In some places the red stain is not just the odd splash but a solid red blanket covering huge areas of footpath and wall.
Filed by Jachin Sheehy under New--Strange Travel
Interesting indeed. But I’m confused. I’ve seen Betel nut and its effect back in Myanmar. Old people over there use to eat that with some spices, lime and some leaves(I don’t know the name in Eng). It makes me wonder, the betel nut I remember is round shape and this one is long oval shape. Also it’s not dark like that. It’s somewhat brown in color…may be I’m confusing with another nut.
Anyway the nut makes you abit dizzy and your tongue go numb or somewhat tasteless, I don’t know why people like that. The red spits are so yucky and back in mm they do have some sign saying not to spit here etc, but I’ve never seen this kind of sign tho.
When I first see it, I thought it’s a rugby ball, haha and was wondering why rugby balls are not allowed in PNG, they do play rugby rite? :D
Well the sign is definitely something we don’t see often.