The ocean of story, being C.H. Tawney's translation of Somadeva's ...

248 THE OCEAN OF STORY
Thus, I do not see why we need assume that the betel-
1 "
chew de luxe must of necessity contain five fruits," which
are so hard to identify. From the list of ingredients we have
obtained from Garcia da Orta, and any additional ones we
may find in the works of other early writers, it is easy to
select five, or even more, " flavours " which would satisfy
the palate of the most inveterate epicure of betel-chewing.
We are entitled, therefore, to regard the one recognised form
of a" chew " as consisting simply of a portion of an arecanut
wrapped in a betel leaf, and flavoured with a pinch of
shell-lime.
In places where these ingredients were obtainable, we must
regard all added " flavours " as restricted to the houses of
the rich to be produced chiefly as a special honour to a
distinguished guest.
The Area of the Custom
The geographical area covered by
the custom of betelchewing
may be roughly taken as lying between long. 60
and 170 east ; and lat. 40 north and 15 south. Outside
this area the custom occurs only where the existence of an
Asiatic colony has warranted the importation of the necessary
ingredients.
The area in question includes the whole of the Indian
Empire, Southern Tibet, Southern China, Siam, Indo-China,
Malaya, all the East Indian Archipelago, Micronesia, New
Guinea and the remainder of Melanesia as far as the tiny
volcanic island of Tikopia. It is just about here that one can
observe the drinking of kava taking the place of betel-chewing.
In both Polynesia and Australia pdn-supdri can be regarded
as unknown. Although areca-nuts have been exported to Fiji,
and possibly to other islands, betel-chewing rarely occurs in
A;ai;a-drinking areas.
The question that at once presents itself is where did
the custom originate ? It is impossible to say. Etymological
evidence seems to favour an Austro-Asiatic, rather than an
(ruby, sapphire, pearl, emerald and topaz), and Jive beauties of woman (hair,
flesh, bone, skin and youth). So also are there Jive trees of paradise, Jive
arrows of Kama, Jive products of the cow, Jive great sacrifices, Jive sacred
flowers, five emblems of royalty. Somadeva (Vol. V, p. 121, and Vol. VI,
p. 157) speaks of flowers of "five colours" and "five hues." See further,
W. E. Geil, The Sacred 5 of China, London, 1 926.
1 Yet cf. the " five brothers " of the Sumatran section (p. 294).