Paan is chewed as a palate cleanser and a breath freshener. It is also commonly offered to guests and visitors as a sign of hospitality and eaten at cultural events. Paan filling is generally a mixture of various spices, fruits, and sugar. Paan makers may use mukhwas or tobacco as an ingredient to their paan fillings. Although many types of paan contain Betel nuts as a filling, many other types do not.
Men usually go to the Paan Walla, which is usually a tiny shack or stand where one can find Paan, cigarettes, bidis, soft drinks, snacks, and a few household items like batteries. There is a certain taboo for women to order Paan, probably because the Paan Walla (the Paan marker) is usually surrounded by men and there is plenty of testosterone being thrown around. The Paan Wala is usually the hub of a certain village and knows all the vicinity gossip. The Paan Walla is synonymous to the local "watering hole" and acts as a gathering place for men escaping their wives.
Paan is an acquired taste and once you get used to it, you may find yourself as a connoisseur and take your pick of the litter. There are many variations and once you are a regular at your Paan Walla, all you have to say is Ek (one) and you will get your Paan the way you want it.
Check our our PAAN tributes (read the advertising on this one...classic):
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From our Shop:http://www.cbaz.com/womens_prince.html
Once you get a hang of PAAN, you might eat more than you can chew... You can find PAAN in various parts of the world in, South Asian neighborhoods, but it's nothing like the ones you get in Calcutta, or Gujarat.
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