Editing Areca nut (section)

===East Asia===
In Taiwan, bags of 20 to 40 areca nuts are purchased fresh daily by a large number of consumers. To meet the steady year-round demand, two kinds of betel-nut shops sell betel and nuts, as well as cigarettes and drinks, including beer: Small [[mom and pop shop]]s, often poorly maintained and with unassuming [[Facade|façades]], and shops which will often consist of nothing more than a single, free-standing room, or booth. The latter is usually elevated one meter above the street, and measures less than 3 by 2 m. Large picture windows comprise two or more of the walls, allowing those who pass by a complete view of the interior. The interior is often painted brightly. Within such a shop, a [[sexily]] dressed young woman, a "[[betel nut beauty]]", can be seen preparing betel and areca nuts. Shops are often identified by colorful (commonly green) LED lamps or [[neon light]]s that frame the windows or that are arranged radially above a store. Customers stop on the side of the road and wait for the girls to bring their betel and areca nut to their vehicles. The habit of chewing betel nut is often associated with blue-collar labor industries such as long-haul transportation, construction, or fishing. Workers in these labor-intensive industries use betel nut for its stimulating effect, but it also becomes a tool for socializing with coworkers. For example, studies have shown chewing betel nut is prevalent among taxi, bus and truck drivers, who rely on the stimulating effect of betel nut to cope with long work hours.<ref>Chuang CY, Chang CH, Chang CC. The workplace relevant factors of betel quid chewing among transportation workers in Central Taiwan (in Chinese). Taiwan Journal of Public Health 2007; 26: 433–42.</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Health Survey for the Long-distance Bus Drivers |language=zh |location=Taipei |publisher=Republic of China (Taiwan), Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Council of Labor Affairs, The Executive Yuan |date=2003 |url=http://www.iosh.gov.tw/book/Report_Publish.aspx?PID=826&UID=F1165 |access-date=2011-08-18 |format=.zip |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120330223118/http://www.iosh.gov.tw/book/Report_Publish.aspx?PID=826&UID=F1165 |archive-date=2012-03-30}}</ref><ref>Kuo SC, Lew-Ting CY. The health lifestyles of areca quid-chewing taxi drivers – an exploratory study from the viewpoint of social context (in Chinese). Taiwan Journal of Oral Medical Science 2008; 27: 67–80.</ref> For these reasons, oral cancer has been identified as a leading cause of death in professions with high betel nut-chewing rates.<ref>Republic of China (Taiwan), Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Council of Labor Affairs, The Executive Yuan. Analysis of the major causes of death of laborers in Taiwan (in Chinese). Taipei: Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Council of Labor Affairs, The Executive Yuan, 2010. {{cite web |url=http://www.iosh.gov.tw/Print.aspx?cnid=16&p=1773 |script-title=zh:勞工安全衛生研究所友善列印新聞稿-我國勞工的主要死亡原因分析-惡性腫瘤(癌症)、事故傷害、心臟疾病是勞工朋友三大健康殺手 |website=Institute of Occupational Safety & Health |access-date=2011-08-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120330223221/http://www.iosh.gov.tw/Print.aspx?cnid=16&p=1773 |archive-date=2012-03-30}}</ref>

In [[Hainan]] and [[Hunan Province]], China, where [[Xiangtan]] is a center of use and processing,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/20/world/asia/20hunan.html |title=Despite Risks, an Addictive Treat Fuels a Chinese City |author=Dan Levin |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=August 19, 2010 |access-date=August 20, 2010}}</ref> a wide range of old and young people consume areca nut daily. Most, though, consume the dried variety of the nut by itself, without the betel leaves. Some people also consume the areca nut in its raw, fresh form with or without the betel leaves. Betel nuts are sold mostly by old women merchants, but the dried version can be found in shops that sell tea, alcohol, and cigarettes.{{citation needed|date=November 2023}}