Betelnut trees in Pingdong, Taiwan

By Trista di Genova

This is Pingdong, in southern Taiwan, which has been considered for centuries the banana basket of the island. This is BebeÝs sister, tending to the family ‘farm,’ a strip of land with betel nut trees, banana trees and a host of other vegetables they grow themselves. The modern Taiwanese were best described by a Taiwanese friend of mine as ‘farmers who became rich when they sold off part of their land; now they drive around in BMWs in flip-flops.’