Peculiar Practice

There is a peculiar practice here that I've resisted writing about since week one. The first few times I encountered it, I thought maybe I was being hypersensitive -observing something that wasn't really all that common but that I happened to notice. However, two months of incidental observation combined with anecdotal information from other westerners make me think this could actually be a local convention. I apologize in advance if I offend anyone, but for the sake of posterity, I'd like to record this observation.

The practice involves men who seem to be at least 30 years (I've seen older women do it as well, but this is much less common). At all times of day I've witnessed them clearing their nasal passages in a loud fashion and then spewing the outcome onto the ground. The sound is immediately recognizable and far from melodious. On several occasions, it has woken me up in the morning and kept me awake at night. For the record, it does not appear that all men take part in this practice. But the ones who do are hard to miss.