From: Justin Burke (JBurke@sorosny.org)
Date: Wed Apr 07 2004 - 09:19:48 EDT
Turkmen president urges youth to avoid gold teeth
Speaking to an audience of students, state and public officials at the
Agricultural University in Asgabat on 5 April, President Nyyazow of
Turkmenistan gave recommendations to the youth about how to have healthy
teeth, after noticing gold teeth in one of the university students.
Nyyazow
said:
"I would like to use this opportunity to advise our youth. Selbijan,
[female student, whose gold teeth were noticed by Nyyazow] don't be
offended. Your golden teeth are beautiful but you, the youth, are even
more beautiful when you have your own white teeth. If a tooth covered
with white enamel is used to replace a damaged tooth, then it is even
more beautiful (applause).
"I am not saying this to you [students] only but also to the entire
Turkmen youth. You are so beautiful when you have your own white teeth.
We have the minister of health and the pharmaceutical industry
[Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedow] sitting here and he is a dentist himself.
"Selbijan, he will fix you such good teeth. Perhaps, everyone thinks
that you have no teeth. You have teeth but he will give you good white
teeth. Please agree to this and don't take it to heart and say I am
getting involved in everything (applause).
"What I know is that when Turkmens were poor it was fashionable to have
gold teeth in Mary and other regions, but only white teeth look good on
young people. All of my teeth are white. If I wish, I can have entirely
gold teeth. Is there anything that can be more beautiful than your own
natural teeth? Let no-one [be offended] (applause).
"I know that if you go to a dentist complaining about your teeth, he
will pull them out and ask you which kind of teeth you want - white
steel teeth for the poor or gold teeth if one can get the money from
brothers, sisters and relatives. Some non-serious guys say a gold tooth
is a good thing to
sell: if you get poor you can rip it out of your mouth. Young people
should not have such childish thoughts. In our motherland no-one is so
healthy as a Turkmen. Our population is just over six million now, and
70 per cent of the people have healthy teeth.
"I have a dentist from Germany taking care of my teeth. That poor man
says that they made a mistake in Europe by trying to save teeth by
eating mincemeat, mashed vegetables or apples, or drinking juice made
from them. If teeth are not used to chew solids, they grow weak. He says
teeth in all European countries are weak. He says they damaged their
teeth because of a scientific mistake. He says that our people gnaw
bones - chicken bones and sheep bones. When I was young, I used to look
after a dog. There were dogs wherever there were charity meal offerings
and people would throw the bones to the dog only after gnawing them so
well that the dog could only chew on it. Dogs chew bones not out of
hunger but because they contain calcium and fluorine and it is natural.
"So guys and girls, I am not trying to offend you, but take care of your
body, your life, and always look beautiful. Don't eat whatever comes
your way and without paying attention to it. Don't sacrifice yourselves
when it comes to your teeth. The harder the substance you chew, the
stronger your teeth will become. There are some people who lost their
teeth and they lost them because they did not want to eat bones and so
on. This is my advice."
(Video shows President Nyyazow talking about teeth at a table, sitting
alongside the rector of the university and other notables, audience
applauding his recommendations)
Source: Turkmen TV first channel, Asgabat, in Turkmen 1600 gmt 5 Apr 04
BBC Mon CAU 060404 cb/ov
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