August 1st, 2012 
Emily 
Before heading to Mombasa, I read that we should try paan, an Indian…. well, actually, I don’t know what the hell it is. <—-But here’s a picture.
I know it involves shredded betel nut, red dye, spices, and honey. Plus, I think there are some of those candy coated anise seeds that remind me of Good and Plentys in there. Anyway, that’s paan, and we needed to try it.
So we went to a paan shop, where we able to request the sweet paan (as opposed to savory, maybe?). After dumping all these ingredients onto the leaf, the paan-making man wrapped it up in a tidy triangle-shaped bundle and we were off.
We wandered around Mombasa for a little bit before getting up the courage to try our paan, mostly because paan is not something you eat, it’s something you chew and spit. We didn’t want to get in trouble for spitting red vegetable matter on the streets of Mombasa. Plus, paan supposedly makes you produce a lot of extra saliva, and we didn’t want to drool red vegetable matter on ourselves in a public area. But eventually we got up the nerve to try it.
Look at that delicious red dye + leaf
Get ready for a series of action shots.
finally got it all in there
That would be spit from the paan, not blood.
There, we tried it. My husband described it as a “carnival of flavors!” I was a bit less positive. We chewed, we spit, we chewed more and spit more and eventually we spit it all out and spent a solid hour trying to get the leftover bits of root and leaf out from between our teeth. Good times.
I’m still not quite sure what paan is… a drug? a breath freshener? a digestive aid? Just like my train ride on The Lunatic Express, it’s something that I’m glad I tried, but which I will never try again.
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Ha! Maybe it was a seedy, dilapidated carnival of flavors. Great post. Love the action shots!
Hahahahaha! I love it! It was totally a seedy, dilapidated carnival of flavors. We’ve all been to that carnival before…
Emily, I cannot believe you tried paan! I grew up in India, in Chennai, and I’ve hated that vile stuff way back when. My husband, who’s American, cannot stand that stuff but Indians love it. It’s more than an acquired taste: you need to be BORN with that taste, imo
Still, very brave of you…and yes your action shots speak volumes!
The taste was a bit much, and so was the excessive saliva. I didn’t like having to spit everywhere! I had heard paan was a big thing in India, glad you can confirm!
You are one brave lady! There was a brief time when my husband and I thought we’d get sent to Kenya on assignment, but it didn’t materialize. At least, I can imagine through your writing.
Well, thank you Diana! If you ever do get the chance to come to Kenya, I would recommend it. It’s beautiful here and there are tons of great weekend trips to take.
Wow. That sounds like…an experience. You are very brave.
Josh says it’s gross and bad.
Has Josh tried it too? Or is he just being sassy?
But how did you FEEL afterwards? I googled it. I am learning a great deal from your experience in Kenya. From your Paan experience alone I learned when in a foreign country, google before eating.8^)
Paan, from the word pān (Hindi: पान; lit. “betel vine”), is a stimulating, psychoactive preparation of betel leaf combined with areca nut and/or cured tobacco.[1][2] Paan is chewed before spitting or swallowing. Paan has many variations. Slaked lime paste is commonly added to bind the leaves. Some South Asian preparations include katha paste or mukhwas to freshen the breath.
Paan is also known as a betel quid. It is mostly consumed in Asia, and elsewhere in the world by some Asian emigrants, with or without tobacco, in an addictive and euphoria-inducing formulation with adverse health effects.[3]
Haha, I googled it AFTER I tried it. Then I wondered why I never felt any euphoria.
But, you make a good point: When in a foreign country, google before eating!
are you off again -how long, and total best wishes
Hey Esther, we’re still in Kenya, this was just a weekend trip to the coast! It kind of felt like a different country though; it’s so different from Nairobi.
All that bravery and effort, and no euphoria? Doesn’t seem fair. Thanks for trying it so I won’t have to.