Photos

Maybe, you have seen someone in some Asian villages, with a little red or brown thing, sticking on the side of his mouth. And when he talks to you, you noticed his mouth is blood red.

This oral "habit" is called "Makan Sireh" or Eat Sireh. It is practiced in one way or the other by all variants of Malays, Indians and ethnic races in Sabah.

Tepak Sireh is a metallic container, usually from brass or copper, to keep all the accessories and ingredients of making sireh.

To make sireh, you need to get the just matured sireh or betel leaf. Preferably leave which is light green and pliable. On the leaf, dab a small amount of kapor or Calcium Carbonate. For a little "kick", dab a small amount of gambir with the kapor. Fold the leaf into a bitesize package.

Next, using the caliper like knife, crimp a small slice of a betel nut. Together with the sireh package, chew it with the nut slice. For more kick, thumb a small ball of tobacco and chew along with that.

Pretty soon, your saliva would turn red and you get a little bit high. You don't swallow the red juice, but occasionally when it gets mouthful, spit it out very very graciously.

Eating sireh is also a ceremonial practice, like Breaking The Ice. It is initiated before starting a discussion about something important like for instance, engagement or wedding proposal. At other times, it is just an oral pastime among the much older generation, but not necessarily all of them. You might get to see one or two old people, chewing sireh or tobacco, very far from the city, in some remote villages or towns.

This tepak sireh is more than 50 years old, belonging to a Kadazandusun Lotud family in Tamparuli. The Tamu or weekly fair in Tamparuli is on Wednesday. You might get to see some old natives chewing sireh here.