Altoids, not just another curiously strong mint

Collected by Sarah Bruning (bruninse@ctrvax.vanderbilt.edu)

Summary: Altoid mints stongly intensify oral sex

Text: "Supposedly, if you give a guy a blowjob with an Altoid in your mouth it will drive him crazy. I heard it when I was younger with a wintergreen lifesaver, and supposedly that glows in the dark when you bite it too, but I think the Altoid thing is more likely. I saw that on Loveline and they said that they didn't know, but it could cause an infection. I know a girl who tried it and said it didn't do anything but get all sticky <laughs.>"

Notes: I think this tale is funny the same way that the story that the 'if a girl orders oysters at dinner she'll sleep with you' story is. There are constantly revolving tales about doing this or that for a heightened sexual experience; I doubt they serve any real significant purpose except for entertainment value. The first kid on the block to hear it tells all of the other kids and same goes for the first student on a hall or the first guy at the watercooler. Before long, the story ends up (as here) on MTV and then it's old hat.

Context:

A. Brief Summary of Tale: Altoid mints stongly intensify oral sex.
B. Tale Type and Motifs: Sexual tale. Motifs: oral sex, sexual aids.
C. Comments on Tale: Don't try this one alone-- anybody see 'Clerks?'
D. Approximate date informant first heard tale: Heard "before" with a different mint, Altoid variation was heard on MTV's 'Loveline.'
E. Relationship of your informant with the individual from whom the informant heard the tale: Informant cannot remember specific person she heard the tale from, describes it as "locker room chatter."
F. Circumstances when tale was first heard: Conversation with peers before any of them had the least bit of sexual experience.
G. Info
Age: 20
Sex: Female
Place Of Birth: St. Paul, Minnessota
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Languages: English, some French
Religion: borderline Protestant
Year: Junior
Jobs: none
Date Collected: November 8, 1998