Chaw

Chaw, or Chew, is of course, chewing tobacco. It is not a weird or uncommon use of tobacco by any means, but I wanted to include it here to be consistent. And yes, I will even add cigar to this list.

Chewing tobacco, as the name implies, involves the chewing of tobacco. It dates back to the Indian days, though being a redneck, I know it more from the South. I will never forget seeing this 80 year old lady when I was a child, chewing what I thought was bubble gum. She looked at me, paused for a moment, and then spit a black liquid out onto the ground. Then she threw a ball to centerfield. (Okay, that part I made up).

I know a lot of people that decide to quit smoking and take up chewing tobacco as a “healthier” alternative. Whether it is or not, I will leave you to decide. I also know people that use it for those times when they cannot smoke.

Although you probably think of America when you think of Chaw, it is also used in other countries, such as India and Pakistan (and specifically the region between Punjab, Pakistan and Punjab, India). Known as jarda there, the Punjabi’s use a method similar to what Native Americans used to use – instead of chewing the tobacco they mix it with some lime (but no coconut) and place it between their lips and gums.

Chewing tobacco also comes in the herbal variety, meaning that it is tobacco and nicotine free and I assume it is used when you try to give up the chew, as I cannot imagine what else you would use it for.