TIBET. 
285 
together, on any occasion, for the business of gratifying one of the most 
intrusive demands of our nature. They have, in consequence, no stated 
times for their meals, but eat when hunger calls for gratification. To 
contribute to relieve the cravings of thirst is allowed, indeed, to be a 
meritorious act; and hence tea, according to their miscellaneous mode 
of preparing it, and chong, or arra , are served up to visitors, as 
a repast, at all times of the day; when first they arrive, and com¬ 
monly before the conclusion of a visit. I soon learnt to consider 
this as a salutary hint to tedious visitors, like the practice of pre¬ 
senting attar of roses, and pawn, in Hinclostan, by way of signal, 
not to prolong their stay. Pawn 3 is a preparation of an aromatic plant 
called Beetel, in India, the Piper Betel of Linnaeus, two or three green 
leaves of which are used as an envelope to cover a variety of ingre¬ 
dients, some of a warm, and pungent b , others of a rough, astringent 
nature 0 ; together with a portion of Kut d , and shell lime; which latter 
is added to exalt the flavour, at the same time that it greatly heightens 
the property which this preparation possesses, of giving a more ruddy 
\ 
colour to the mouth and lips. It is all together called Pawn. 
Among the numerous excellencies attributed to this compound, it has 
the credit of promoting digestion, of relieving flatulency, and being in 
the highest degree stomachic; it also strongly perfumes the breath, 
impresses a grateful flavour on the palate, and by its pungency excites 
thirst, at the same time that it imparts the highest zest to the gratifi¬ 
cation of it. 
a Tambuli, Sanscrit. See Wilkins’s HeetSpades of Veeshnoo Sarma, p. 220. 
b Cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon. ^ Sooparee, areca catechu. 
d Terra japonica; inspissated juice of the C’hadira, a species of Mimosa. 
