Sorry, let me reiterate.
I chew gum in class.
I SMOKE on my break (hence the gum-chewing).
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Because I don’t think the fact that it’s gum (as opposed to breath mints) matters.
If I switched to mints, I’d get an equally stupid complaint about the mints.
I could be mistaken, but I highly doubt it.
If you are willing to tell a small lie, say they are throat lozenges. End of story.
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Or nicotine gum?
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Yup , just medical related.
Maybe, maybe not. Could be worth a try. And look at the bright side…at least they’re not telling you to quit smoking. I get the feeling that would make you really pissy.
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Mints not gum - problem solved.
It’s cultural.
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Get where your coming from. To be fair the same rules apply in many western schools.
Can kind of see the logic. Gum is chewed and your job has been lot to do with speaking. If speaking with somone who is chewing its considered pretty rude. Less so in taiwan, but apparantly that class has an issue. like talking while eating, just doesnt show respect, and covid times people could learn to close their lips and chew. Whereas mints are sucked. No sounds and interferes less with conversation.
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I do nicotine gum (noticed Andrew mentioned that earlier). Not supposed to chew that really, just quick chew then park. No one will notice unless you’re getting a new one or unconsciously chewing when the kids are crazy for that sweet release of nicotine.
No cigarette breath that way, but mint flavor plus a mask can sting your eyes like crazy for a bit. Only got caught a couple times, but when the kids asked I just pretended not to understand 
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Gum chewing is a negative behavior?
Reply like Flo does while chewing the gum.
Thought: I got standards of how I should behave as a teacher, and you don’t live up to them.
Been teaching for +6 years now, both at uni, in private and at 補習班. It’s obvious to me that you don’t smoke before class, the same way you shower, wash your hair and put whatever you want on your armpits to have at least a neutral smell and be presentable. A peppermint before class because everybody’s breath smells. No eating while teaching, and certainly no gum chewing.
Other people have other standards, you decide where you set the bar.
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But you didn’t say idiotic comment, did you now. You said the person was idiotic.
Have you never felt the sheer panic (in pre-face-mask days) of realizing you just accidentally overtly chewed your secret piece of gum on the Taipei Metro?
Have you tried mohitos?
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Was it even her complaint or was she doing as told from someone above her? 
I don’t see it as a big deal, doing it or being asked to not do it. You have succeeded in triggering the Taiwan defenders though with the negative and condescending besmirchments of local staff and customs. 
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You can. Just be inconspicuous. That isn’t just orange juice in my bottle. 
Just do things the Taiwanese way. Sorry, sorry, thank you for the kind suggestion, and then do what you were doing before. Just wait a day or so before resuming course.
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“one of the parents says…” is a common start to comments where the person saying it wants to throw their own opinions off on some hypothetical cutout. She is controlled in the workplace by her boss in the same way because in buxibans, parents are in control. Your co-teacher doesn’t like you chewing gum because she has grown up being told not to do so. Pull her aside and tell her an equal white lie that you have jaw lock and your doctor/fortune teller/favourite actor told you it would bring you money/luck/long life. I have an older client who does the teeth suck thing whenever I chuck my nic-gum in during class. I told her she makes me nervous and I have to do it to calm down, endy story.
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Nice.
