Chewed Straight

Chewed Straight

Anna Southward

We all know the dangers of having Chewing gum in school. The constant nagging from your peers can be quite the bother. Which is why we choose to ignore the fact that we have gum in the first place, but most also have chosen to ignore the facts about gum.

We all have our own habits, but chewing gum is the most common. Though there are a lot of contributors to gum, modern gum was invented by William Wrigley. Which produces about 35% of the gum today, and little has changed in the manufacturing process. According to chewinggumfacts.com, Chewing gum is basically made by combining a water-insoluble phase with a water-soluble phase of sweeteners, flavoring and food coloring.

Although, there are many flavors now, There were only a few about a thousand years ago. The ancient Greeks chewed Mastiche, the ancient Mayans chewed the coagulated sap of the Sapodilla tree, North American Indians chewed the sap from spruce tree.Later was made for commercial use in 1848 by John B. (Bacon) Curtis. However one certain myth isn’t true. Chewing gum does not take seven years to exit our stomachs. In fact, our stomachs can’t digest it, it is just pushed out of the stomach, following where other waste goes.

One danger of chewing gum is going to school with it. Peers might nag you for some. Or teachers might not let you have it. For some it can help you focus. “I like to chew gum because it calms me down and it makes me focus a little bit more” says freshman Drake Langshaw. For others it’s a habit, “I chew it (gum) because it’s just a habit I have and sometimes you get some nasty breath and just ‘pop’ it in.” says freshman Megan Manning. Although for janitors it’s quite the bother, the gum that’s dry should be in the trash. Not under the desk.