Indulgences

1. buuch

   Buuch (betel nut)

   Usage

   "betel nut". The most everyday indulgence in Palau. Owning betel palms is oubuuch; the nuts you keep for your own chewing are chemelek el buuch. ⚠ Chewing areca nut is an established risk factor for oral cancer, and the lime (chaus) both recedes the gums and is what turns the saliva red. It is entirely fine to decline if offered. ⚠ The derived expression meduch el buuch means "kidney", not a food

2. kebui

   Kebui (betel pepper leaf, chewed with betel nut)

   Usage

   "betel pepper; pepper leaf (used with betel nut)". The leaf the nut is wrapped in, normally said in the possessive: Ak mo melai a chemelek el kebui. ("I'm going to get my pepper leaves"). Withered leaves are no good — Aika el chemelek el kebui a mera el di moalech. ("My chewing pepper leaves are withered") — and old leaves have their own word, chedesaoch. ⚠ kebui does not mean "left"; the word for left is katur ("left hand/arm; left side") ("right" is kadikm; kiei means live/reside)

3. chaus

   Chaus (the lime used with betel nut)

   Usage

   "lime for betel nut" — the white powder added to the nut and leaf, and the reason the saliva turns red. Its container has its own word, ongaus. ⚠ The lime is harsh on the oral mucosa and gums, and is the component that compounds the carcinogenicity of the quid

4. chemachel

   Chemachel (the makings of a betel chew — nut, leaf, lime)

   Usage

   "ingredients for betel nut chewing (i.e. betel nut, pepper leaf, lime, etc.)" — the whole set in one word. The example Se el blai a meteet er a chemachel. ("That family is well-known to have resources in betel nut"), shows that having it is spoken of as a form of wealth. ⚠ A separate word with the same spelling means "titled persons in a village (usually, ten in number)", so show this one in a shop or table context

5. cheech

   Cheech (twisted tobacco chewed with betel nut)

   Usage

   "twisted tobacco or cigarette tobacco chewed with betel nut". Adding tobacco to the quid is standard practice in Palau — there is a dedicated verb for it, mengeech, and a stative for the result, cheleech. ⚠ A quid with tobacco carries a higher oral-cancer risk than areca nut alone. It is fine to decline if offered

6. melamech

   Melamech (to chew betel nut; to smoke tobacco)

   Usage

   "chew (betel nut); smoke (tobacco)". Palauan uses one verb for both, and the object decides which. An example is Ng ngar er ngii a melamech a dekool er kemiu? ("Is there anyone among you who smokes cigarettes?"). To decline, the ordinary negative imperative frame (Lak ...) applies

7. tet

   Tet (the bag carried for holding betel nut)

   Usage

   "bag for holding betel nut; handbag; small woven basket". The betel bag is simply the word for a handbag — a good measure of how everyday the habit is. To carry or use one is outet; an example is Msuk er chelsel a tet. ("Put it inside the bag"). ⚠ A separate word means "legendary inhabitant of Ollei"

8. ullemachel

   Ullemachel (the discarded cud of a betel chew)

   Usage

   "discarded cud of betel nut" (also spelled ulemachel). That the spent quid and its red spittle have a word of their own says plainly that disposal is part of the practice. Shops and buildings generally provide somewhere for it, and the expectation is that you do not spit indoors or onto paving. Related words are chemachel (the makings) and melamech (to chew)

9. dekool

   Dekool (cigarette; tobacco)

   Usage

   "cigarrette; tobacco". The phrase for asking the price is cheral a dekool; an example for quitting is Ke mla choitii a omelamech el dekool? ("Have you quit smoking?"), and one for the habit, Ng kmal bekenglemachel er a dekool. ("He smokes cigarettes constantly"). A single cigarette is telbail, the butt ulout, and to light one is omekard. ⚠ The health harm needs no explanation, and it is fine to decline if offered

10. biang

    Biang (beer)

    Usage

    "beer", etymology [From E?] — the English origin is uncertain. A second word, biru, also exists. Examples include Lak molim a biang! ("Don't drink beer!"). ⚠ The spelling bia does not exist

11. meromi

    Meromi (liquor made from tapioca)

    Usage

    "liquor (made from tapioca)", etymology [From Japanese moromi] — from the Japanese word for the fermenting mash. One of the Japanese-era loans; the base is tapioca (diokang). ⚠ Home-made and unlicensed spirits carry a real risk of methanol poisoning. Avoid loose pours of unknown origin and stick to sealed bottles

12. moromi

    Moromi (moonshine; home-made rice alcohol)

    Usage

    "moonshine; home-made alcohol made using rice" — the rice-based counterpart to tapioca-based meromi. An example is Ka moitel a sesei er tia el moromi e dechermii. ("Pour some of that and let us have a taste"). ⚠ Home-made and unlicensed alcohol carries a real risk of methanol poisoning. Choose sealed bottles and do not drink anything of unknown origin

13. tsesa

    Tsesa (a chaser; the snack that goes with beer)

    Usage

    "chaser; snack to accompany beer", etymology [From English] (from "chaser"). Having a dedicated word for the accompanying snack says something about how beer is drunk in Palau, and it is what to ask for alongside a biang. There is also the separate expression olebsel a ureor, "beer, liquor, etc., to drink while working"

Browse all TravelPhrases languages