Mong Shuan was just 16 when she turned to an unconventional source of income: selling betel nuts from a little stall in northern Taiwan. The stimulant, a small, oblong fruit derived from areca palms, ...

TAIPEI, TAIWAN — Lee sits on a bar stool in a plexiglass box near a highway offramp in central Taiwan. It’s late afternoon and the 29-year-old is dressed in a red negligee, a fake rose planted firmly ...

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Lee sits on a bar stool in a plexiglass box near a highway offramp in central Taiwan. It’s late afternoon and the 29-year-old is dressed in a red negligée, a fake rose planted between ...

2001-03-18 04:00:00 PDT Tashi, Taiwan-- It was just after the shift change at a betel nut stand near the entrance ramp to Highway 3, southwest of Taipei. Huang Jin-yu had changed out of her work ...

A deep red or purple smile is a common sight in many parts of Asia and the Pacific. But what’s behind it? This red residue is the telltale sign of the betel nut, which is chewed by millions of people ...