3848  In the milongas of BsAs is gum chewed while dancing?

Date: Tue, 27 Sep 2005 20:20:30 -0700
From: Jonathan Thornton <obscurebardo@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: In the milongas of BsAs is gum chewed while dancing?

Thanks to all who responded.

I would be interested to hear from those who dance or who have danced in
BsAs if milongueros are in the habit of chewing gum while dancing.

Sergio, I have a particular fondness for your observations, if you are
reading this I do hope you might give your viewpoint.

Jonathan Thornton

--
"The tango can be debated, and we have debates over it,
but it still encloses, as does all that which is truthful, a secret."
Jorge Luis Borges

Date: Wed, 28 Sep 2005 05:41:23 +0000
From: Sergio Vandekier <sergiovandekier990@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: In the milongas of BsAs is gum chewed while dancing?

Dear friends from Tango-L,

Everyone knows that according to our
teachers chewing gum causes distraction of the mind and it is considered a
sign of very bad manners.

The difference between a girl chewing gum and a cow ruminating is that the
cow has an intelligent look. :))

Despite that, humans have chewed gum or similar substances for centuries.
The Greeks used bee wax, and the Mayan Indians used latex that obtained from
a tree called " chicozapote" (Manikara Zapota).

But all this problem originated because James Adams decided to market small
pieces of gum (chicle) with sugar in different tastes.

To chew gum is not a very elegant activity (I would say) but it is a very
popular one.

Many people use it as a substitute for brushing their teeth and to mask
their halitosis (bad breath).

Many smokers use them to try to kick their habit, but the success rate is
very low.

Chewing gum could be very versatile: exercises your jaw, masks your hunger
for a while, it is good to make bubbles and burst them, (some big ones burst
in your face and then you need help to remove the material from you eye
lashes and eye brows) it is useful to paste a poster on the wall or to
paste it on somebody's hair as well. :)

Some chew it for a while then put it in a piece of paper to continue chewing
it later.

I got a piece on my new blue pants yesterday while eating in a restaurant.
To paste it under the table undoubtedly is one of the worst habits.

Most cities have to spend millions every year to clean the sidewalks of
pasted chewing gum.

To answer the original question, no, in my experience milongueros in Buenos
Aires do not chew gum. It is generally accepted that other than this being a
sign of disrespect such an activity distracts your mind and prevents you to
concentrate in the music, your partner, and the dancers around you.

Concentration is very important so talking while dancing tango (IMO) is not
acceptable either.

I am stopping here as I am on my way to the dry cleaners with my new blue
pants. I wonder if my opinion would have been different if I did not have to
do this. Certainly not.

One day, in an ideal world we will be able to open the little package, smell
the flavor, put the gum in the mouth and give that glorious first chew
liberating a drop of fragrant, sweet tasting liquid without offending or
distracting anyone, all that while dancing tango with due concentration and
experiencing a magic event... I am kidding I never chew gum...but if you
like to chew go ahead and good luck. This certainly has to be better than
chewing tabacco, what do you think?

Have great day, Sergio.

Date: Wed, 28 Sep 2005 08:27:41 +0200
From: "Christian Lüthen" <christian.luethen@GMX.NET>
Subject: Re: In the milongas of BsAs is gum chewed while dancing?

Great posting to read to start the morning with ... ;-))

>
> Everyone knows that according to our
> teachers chewing gum causes distraction of the mind

I did not know that. Actually a little bit of distraction could also prevent
one to fall asleep in case of total boredom! ;-)

> and it is considered a sign of very bad manners.

Put "very" in capitals!

> The difference between a girl chewing gum and a cow ruminating is that
> the cow has an intelligent look. :))

Great one!

To be honest: I strongly avoid asking women to dance who are chewing their
gums!!!
It's not only the contineous movement of the jaw which might distract me
from my lead (as I hate it) while dancing open embrace, also I do not like
that sound ['schmack schmack schmack ...'] in my ears while dancing close
embrace. If I realize too late (read: after asking to dance) that a woman is
chewing it I usualy point out something like "a, you are using chewing gum"
... mostly the women then ask whether it bothers me (which I confirm) and
then hopefully they take it out.
Also I do not want to be watched by bystanders dancing with someone chewing
as this might be understood that the my current dancing partner is bored by
my lead.

> Despite that, humans have chewed gum or similar substances for centuries.
> The Greeks used bee wax, and the Mayan Indians used latex that obtained
> from a tree called " chicozapote" (Manikara Zapota).

Also a lot coca-chewing in Argentina. [the drivers of our recent safari in
the andes around the town of Salta used it every day]

> To chew gum is not a very elegant activity (I would say) but it is a very
> popular one.

And a very irrespectful one.

> Many people use it as a substitute for brushing their teeth and to mask
> their halitosis (bad breath).

Drink less alcohol and smoke less would help most of the people. Also a
regular brushing of the teeth as a general habit! =;-o

> Many smokers use them to try to kick their habit, but the success rate is
> very low.

One addiction for another ...

> Chewing gum could be very versatile: exercises your jaw,

Hmm, would I have to fear that one of those highly trained/exercised female
jaws would consider at my neck as pray??

> I got a piece on my new blue pants yesterday while eating in a
> restaurant. To paste it under the table undoubtedly is one of the
> worst habits.

Confirmed!

> Most cities have to spend millions every year to clean the sidewalks of
> pasted chewing gum.

It's as bad as dog's poop.

> To answer the original question, no, in my experience milongueros in
> Buenos Aires do not chew gum.

Unfortunatly not correct! :-(
[but also here I do stick to my rule: don't ask a chewy girl to dance!]

> It is generally accepted that other than this being a
> sign of disrespect

Absolutely.

> Concentration is very important so talking while dancing tango (IMO) is
> not acceptable either.

;-) No, not really. Especially not when talkers block the flow of the dance
floor anoying others ...

> I am kidding I never chew gum...but if you
> like to chew go ahead and good luck. This certainly has to be better than
> chewing tabacco, what do you think?

Tabacco, chewed or smoked, is one of the most annoying things in the world.
Actually all those non-smoking-milongas in north-america are a wonderfull
invention! One more reason to dance there, at festivals [there are some
greats] and off-festivals. So be careful with your posting, Sergio: If they
also would stop chewing in the north their milongas might be overcrowed soon
by all those going up north instead of south ...


Happy smoke- and chew-frew dancing everybody!
Christian







--
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Date: Wed, 28 Sep 2005 15:53:40 +0900
From: astrid <astrid@RUBY.PLALA.OR.JP>
Subject: Re: In the milongas of BsAs is gum chewed while dancing?

> The difference between a girl chewing gum and a cow ruminating is that the
> cow has an intelligent look. :))
> To chew gum is not a very elegant activity (I would say) but it is a very
> popular one.
> To answer the original question, no, in my experience milongueros in

Buenos

> Aires do not chew gum.

This must all be true, but in my observation, the only woman in Tokyo who
chews gum while dancing tango is a Japanese-Argentine business woman who
came here about 5 years ago, and leaves the country periodically for
business trips to Central and South America.. By the other Argentines, she
has always gotten huge credit for being Argentine, and they all dance with
her even though she is a mediocre dancer, the reason for which is that after
a few years of practise, her dance level started to stagnate, and I have not
noticed any further development since.
From the beginning, when she knew next to nothing about tango, she was used
by teachers for translating their instructions from Spanish into Japanese.
These, in my ears, sounded something like this in translation:"He says
(chew), that the woman should (chew chew) execute this step, if (chew) the
man does not lead it." "Did he really say that?" I injected. She checked.
"No, he says, the woman (chew chew chew) should do this step, as he leads it
and (chew) not close her knees (chew), uh, (chew chew) I mean, close (chew)
her knees but... (chew chew)..."etc.
In all these years, I never seen her take out her gum once, she has never
changed it during a dance lesson or a milonga, I have never seen her stick
it under a table. But every time she talks, she chews, and I always try to
picture what her gum may look like, in my mind: very small, shriveled, grey
and tasteless from overuse...

Astrid

Date: Wed, 28 Sep 2005 01:10:14 -0700
From: Iron Logic <railogic@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Re: In the milongas of BsAs is gum chewed while dancing?

Do the milongueros in BsAs smoke or not. Who cares? Why copy idiosyncrasies of these men from another culture, they may not chew gums, they do something...smoking and dancing, for example, polluting dance halls.

Not to be disrespectuful, some of these guys may need a little work on their posture. After all they are human;). Summary: I have all respect for them, just that i dont feel the need to look up to them for everything. Thier dancing is very special ofcourse.

IL


astrid <astrid@RUBY.PLALA.OR.JP> wrote:> The difference between a girl chewing gum and a cow ruminating is that the

> cow has an intelligent look. :))
> To chew gum is not a very elegant activity (I would say) but it is a very
> popular one.
> To answer the original question, no, in my experience milongueros in

Buenos

> Aires do not chew gum.

This must all be true, but in my observation, the only woman in Tokyo who
chews gum while dancing tango is a Japanese-Argentine business woman who
came here about 5 years ago, and leaves the country periodically for
business trips to Central and South America.. By the other Argentines, she
has always gotten huge credit for being Argentine, and they all dance with
her even though she is a mediocre dancer, the reason for which is that after
a few years of practise, her dance level started to stagnate, and I have not
noticed any further development since.
From the beginning, when she knew next to nothing about tango, she was used
by teachers for translating their instructions from Spanish into Japanese.
These, in my ears, sounded something like this in translation:"He says
(chew), that the woman should (chew chew) execute this step, if (chew) the
man does not lead it." "Did he really say that?" I injected. She checked.
"No, he says, the woman (chew chew chew) should do this step, as he leads it
and (chew) not close her knees (chew), uh, (chew chew) I mean, close (chew)
her knees but... (chew chew)..."etc.
In all these years, I never seen her take out her gum once, she has never
changed it during a dance lesson or a milonga, I have never seen her stick
it under a table. But every time she talks, she chews, and I always try to
picture what her gum may look like, in my mind: very small, shriveled, grey
and tasteless from overuse...

Astrid