Beetlenut

So a couple weeks ago I experineced another cultural phenomenon very important here to Kosraen's: I chewed beetlenut. Throughout all of the South Pacific, Micronesian's chew Beetlenut. Like being offered a peice of gum or a cigarete people are always offering me beetlenut. Here's how it goes:

You take an actual "beetlenut" from the tree. You crack it in half with your teeth. You then pour in limestone powder, which is melted down from limestone rock. You add a piece of cigarete and then close the beetlenut. Then you wrap a leaf taken from the beetlenut tree around the whole thing. It is certainly an interesting experience. Perhaps not my favorite Micronesian custom however I can now always say to the locals I have tried it.