Louisiana: Chewing Gum and Dance

Source: The Jumping Frog

Before I came to South Louisiana, I didn't chew much gum. When I did, and after it had played out, more often than not, I just swallowed it. (I swallow watermelon seeds, too.)

But in South Louisiana, I chew way more gum than I ever have in my life. It is kind of what one does while dancing. So I don't swallow it anymore. There are limits.

I tried to find statistics to support my hypothesis that South Louisianans consume far more gum per capita than other regions in the U.S.  Couldn't find any state-by-state comparisons. But I did learn that Iran and Saudi Arabia have the highest percentage of gum chewers in the world. The U.S. is third.

But getting back to chewing gum and South Louisiana. As I said, many dancers here chew gum.

This salsa forum discusses the pros and cons of gum, mints, sprays, strips, and good ol' fashioned teeth brushing before dancing.

This gum ad suggests that the right chewing gum could actually cause you to break into dancing:

Stride Gum sponsored this magnificently happy-making dance video by Where the hell is Matt:

From the Do's and Don'ts of Square and Round Dancing: 

..... don't forget to use something to sweeten your breath (mouth wash, chewing gum, etc.) Avoid eating garlic or other offenders before attending a dance.

The Teaberry Shuffle, the dance steps one breaks into upon taking a piece of Teaberry gum:

To be honest, the only direct link I can find between Louisiana and gum chewing is a 2009 Louisiana State University study about the effects of gum chewing on academics and our health.