How the paan took over New York sidewalks

A research abstract published on a National Center for Biotechnology Information (  NCBI ) website declares, rather ominously, Paan and Gutka in the United States: An Emerging Threat. In Mumbai, these are stuff you choke your morning tea on and dismiss as American excesses between smirking. However, not all Indians are amused. Ask residents of Queens, New York. A New York Times article titled O n Jackson Heights’ Sidewalks, a Treat’s Messy Aftermath, reports how the residents of a New York neighbourhood are losing their sleep over the paan stained sidewalks. “To the chagrin of Jackson Heights shopkeepers, some passers-by spit half-chewed betel leaves and saliva onto the sidewalks, just as they did in their native countries,” the New York Times article quotes. A resident rues how the paan stains have become the ‘icon’ of Jackson Heights, the locality. [caption id=“attachment_416534” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  AFP.[/caption] And not just the sidewalks, South Asian immigrants who run a variety of businesses in the area complain how their country folks drool and mess up everything from restaurant floors to clothes on shop racks. The article says:

Shiv Dass, president of the Jackson Heights Indian Merchants Association, said customers sometimes entered his two clothing stores and unintentionally drooled the red juice onto his merchandise.

Not only that, the paan nuisance has also led to some ethnic squabbles in the largely South Asian neighbourhood, where everyone from Indians and Bangladeshis to Nepalis and Pakistanis blame each other for the defiling of the streets.

The stains regularly set off debates in Jackson Heights, which attracts visitors from a mix of paan-chewing countries like Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan. Many are quick to lay the blame for the ubiquitous blemishes on any nationality but their own. Older immigrants privately scold newcomers for clinging to the bad habits of their homeland.

And since, a city used to chewing gums wasn’t prepared for the assault of the paan, the Sanitation Department of the city is yet to decide a course of action. Wouldn’t India have a few tips for New York here?