Singapore Sling

It occurred to me the other day, after speaking with my Saturday friend, that I was not the only person around that had a big problem with others chewing gum in public. I have always enjoyed a good cleansing...some spearmint or cinnamon can be extremely refreshing after a meal full of garlic. However, what I do take issue with is the loud chomping and mashing that we are subjected to while in the public domain. We humans have been chewing gum for centuries, with very few side effects, except those brought on by sheer disgust. One of the nice side effects of chewing gum is that you increase the production of saliva, which is usually good for oral hygiene and breath. The bad side effects are things like sorbitol poisonning from too much sugarless gum (I have had several bouts of this during my lifetime, thus proving that too much of anything is not always good), mouth ulcers (see, it doesn't just come from things like chewing tobacco), high blood pressure and low blood potassium. Chewing gum in public places has given way the word "gumfitti", referring to gum pollution in public places, like graffiti. Gumfitti has created a whole new (and very expensive) industry involving fancy gum-removal devices like solvents and liquid nitrogen to be used to get the stuff off the streets and from other inhabited places like: park benches, tables, walls, statues, schools, all public transport... You name it...There is gum everywhere! I think that the law makers in Singapore got it right. They are one of the only places on the planet that has made the use of chewing gum for most non-medical purposes completely illegal and if you're caught, it's punishable by law. I am not suggesting that people should do away with this seemingly harmless and recreational past time, but I do think that we should at least respect our environment as well as the people who may be within ear shot.