When was the last time you thought about chewing gum and what in the actual balls it even is? And I don’t mean chemically. We all have access to all the information the world contains and can easily find out the answer from a bunch of sources, so cool your jets on looking it up – I ain sayin that – I’m sayin “what IS it” in your head? As in – without that reference of the actual data – what does your brain think it is? I mean, literally, it’s chemical combinations to create semi hard putty that you can inject flavor chemicals into that get released into saliva through mastication – but what the hell IS that though?
It’s not random animal insides like hot dogs are, is it? It’s not boiled cow parts like gelatin is, is it? Nah. It’s gotta be something synthetic like a remnant of whatever rubber or plastic is, right? See, you don’t have a good guess, do you. Isn’t that kinda eff’ed up?
Why are we so casual about flavored putty we can’t eat instead of freaking out at this synthetic putty that is made to stimulate taste sensations but doesn’t break down?
The Wrigley Company is the largest gum maker in the world. They’re the company that owns normal candies like Starbust, Skittles, Life Savers, Altoids, and all them Wrigley gumz. I originally looked that up because I was going somewhere with it but got lost in a 20 minute rabbit hole of confection corporation acquisition stuff.
I’m not going to continue looking for what the answer is to this because I think it’s more profound to let hang as a question to make you think and also subtly shame you for going your whole life till this point without knowing or caring what you’re chewing. Instead of looking it up, I’m just gonna state this like I know wtf I’m talking about:
Gum is rubber with flavor injected into it. The End.
Psych – I obviously had to go see if I was close, but I turned out to be deadnuts right-on so I can’t just pass that opportunity to broadcast it.
First I looked to Wikipedia which was as bout as helpful as a spoon glued to your elbow with its description saying:
Chewing gum is a soft, cohesive substance designed in order to be chewed without being swallowed. Modern chewing gum is composed of gum base, sweeteners, softeners/plasticizers, flavors, colors, and, typically, a hard or powdered polyol coating. Its texture is reminiscent of rubber because of the physical-chemical properties of its polymer, plasticizer, and resin components, which contribute to its elastic-plastic, sticky, chewy characteristics.
Cool. Thanks for nothing. And that’s the only thing it says on the whole page! Just kidding. There’s obviously an extensive list of history and explanation on the manufacturing process and blah blah blah but I ain readin all that. So here come HowStuffWorks to da rescuuuuue:
Up until WWII, chewing gum was made of a substance called chicle mixed with flavorings. Chicle is a latex sap that comes from the sapodilla tree (native to Central America). In other words, chicle is a form of rubber. Just like rubber bands don’t dissolve when you chew them, neither does chicle. Chicle is a good bit softer than rubber bands and happens to soften more when it gets warm in your mouth. If you freeze chicle with ice, it gets very stiff — chicle hardens and softens over a pretty narrow temperature range.
After WWII, chemists learned how to make artificial gum bases to replace chicle. These gum bases are essentially synthetic rubbers that have the same temperature profile as chicle.
And there it is. Gum is rubber and I’m right about stuff.
But still go back to the part about how you didn’t know that and ponder it a little, would you? Cuz that was supposed to be the point here. Thanks. Chew you later!… nah, that’s stupid. What’s a better send-off to this? um. -Oh, Got It!
Until next time, folks… Chew on THAT!
