This toothpaste is packaged with completely Chinese script. So I have no idea what it is called. (I don't know anyone right now who could interpret. Contributions are welcome!)
Again, one of my ex-colleagues brought it to me after a trip to China.
Flavor? Bad. Kind of bubble-gum-ish. So it will remain unused in the collection's archives. (My general policy is to use the toothpastes in the museum.)
You know the brand - but not the flavor. I bought this in Nairobi, Kenya. It was made in Egypt for the African marketplace. You won't find it in North America or Europe! It says on the tube, "Limited Edition" - so my guess is that it did not survive as a long-term flavor. Another sales point is that it is labeled "Flavalicious". There is a tension - if it tastes too good, then kids will eat it! And not to worry - it did not taste too good. (But then, I'm not a kid.) There is a small hint of mint. The paste is very light brownish white. And there is a helpful diagram on back showing how good it is to brush your teeth.
Miswak is a historic method of brushing teeth - reputed to have been used by Muslims over 7000 years ago ( Wikipedia ). Hundreds of years ago, Muslims conquered parts of the world, just like the Europeans. With their domination came spreading Arabic culture. Muslims on Lama Island, off the coast of Kenya, built beautiful buildings with similar architecture to some parts of Morocco, thousands of miles away. Miswak toothpastes are found in the north of England , India, Pakistan and other places around the world. This one's from Turkey. Colgate-Palmolive is a huge multinational corporation based in New York. And obviously, they have factories in Turkey. They sell Misvak toothpaste there but not in the USA. (Companies must adapt to each local market to make money.) Note that the Turkish spelling of miswak is "misvak." This toothpaste has a strong flavor - somewhat anise-like and very clean tasting. It's not as mild as many of the European toothpastes I've reviewed. K
This is another toothpaste that might not make it in North America. "Whitemen" refers to how your teeth are little white men inside your head - or not. According to The Shanghaiist : 'The Chinese name of Whitemen Toothpaste is 白人牙膏 (bái rén yá gāo or "white people toothpaste").' You might remember I shared a similar paste, Darlie . The actual pastes are quite similar: white, mint, chalky and basic. The box has an ingredients list in English. One of the components listed is "adhesive." I always thought I was geographically literate... little did I know, but the hot pepper shape is actually the shape of the island of Taiwan, its country of origin. Special thanks to my friend Beth, who visited there in the summer of 2011. She was also kind enough to bring me a small hotel-sized tube as well.
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