Supari Fiend

My supari ingestions had reached crisis levels, supposedly. Dude, it's not even real supari....just that crap they hand out at desi restaurants as a "mouth refresher/digestive aid" when you leave. Anyway, so we all call it "supari" since it resembles the actual stuff and it's easier than saying the-crap-they-hand-out-at-desi-restaurants.
Anyway, two nights ago, as I was working on my various papers and unconciously hand-to-mouthing my 6/8th bottle of "supari" that was left, A.A. and A.F came by to "see how I was doing". Yea, right. So I hid the "supari" bottle because I know they were going to check the level of "supari" depletion. Well, unluckily, they found it. Try as I might, I couldn't get the bottle back. They had to literally wrestle the bottle from me.
Man, it was like the whole Bournvita bottle episode back in Bangalore when Bobby and Anu took and hid my bottle of Bournvita....My bottle of Bournvita from which I religiously ate a spoonful of the malt chocolate (embued with vitamins and minerals) as soon as I came back from college. It was Bournvita, for gosh sakes! It was, like, my only source of calcium. Besides, it tasted really good. Just like "supari". And "supari" can be good for you. Fennel, which is a main component of "supari", is good for you. Fennel is a digestive aid and liver tonic. Seeeeee???
Anyway, so lacking my supari to keep me awake with my papers, I went to sleep, the withdrawal symptoms of extreme lethargy already taking over.
The next day, however, I did get my presentation done. Ironically, our last class was to be held at a desi restaurant nearby. I suppose I knew I would be in the presence of "supari" but I was too worried about my paper to care. At the end of the class time, our professor decided to give us a "treat": PAAN. That's right; the actual addictive betel-leaf-surrounding-actual-betel-nut-supari treat. My professor said in India you put the whole leaf-wrapped concoction in your mouth. "Aaaah refreshing", she said. Me and this other girl were the only desi-familiar people in class and suddenly my desiness seemed to be called into question if I did not put the whole damn thing in my mouth at once. So I did. Remind me never to put the whole of ANYTHING in my mouth if I don't know what it tastes like to begin with. It was horrible. Every bite sent another shock of painful sensations through my mouth. I was at a point where I couldn't spit it out or swallow it. I was doomed to chew and chew the abhorrant substance as it ate away at the inside of my mouth. My professor saw the grimace on my face..."Is it strong?" She asks. Good lord, woman!! If it had been any stronger my mouth would have been shooting fireworks up the wazoo. I could feel the insides of my mouth being worn away. I'm sure it was bleeding. Painfully, I finally ate the damn thing. My professor took a nibble--yes, JUST a nibble!--and stated rather nonchalantly, "yes, it is slightly stronger than stuff I've had before." I swallowed water in hopes of flushing it out but the water just reminded me of how much of my mouth had been made raw! I swore I would never eat paan or frickin "supari" or anything of the sort again. I tried to eat the "supari" at the door as we left, thinking it wouldn't be as bad. Bad idea. The fennel stabbed the raw surfaces along the inside of my cheeks and gums. I ran outside and spit the crap out. I'm sure people must have thought I was some uncouth FOB spitting the red crap all over the pavement.
Talk about being taught a lesson. Down with supari! (Fennel is still good for you though.)
It didn't help when A.A. and A.F. made me go through the ordeal of gargling salt water in order to heal the inside of my mouth. I guess they were right. I saw a website today about how they add mouth-tingling addictive substances to "supari" made in Pakistan and India. My "supari" habit must have made my mouth super-sensitive. Geeez, talk about rubbing salt in your wounds.