# Chewing gum, and chewing gum **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 5, 2021, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chewing-gum-and-chewing-gum/937228 "2021-03-05T04:54:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DaveUnknown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/94ad74/32.png) [@DaveUnknown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveUnknown)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2021, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chewing-gum-and-chewing-gum/937228/1 "2021-03-05T04:54:16Z")
I like to chew gum sometimes. Double-mint, dentyne, wrigley’s, bazooka. It’s fun to play around with, tongue tricks. Bubbles. Noisy click-pops Does anyone chew gum anymore? I know it can cause problems with indiscriminate chewers— maybe the same as cigarette butt flickers. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2021, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chewing-gum-and-chewing-gum/937228/2 "2021-03-05T05:31:37Z")
Gum chewing’s fine when it’s once in a while. It stops you from smoking and brightens your smile. But it’s repulsive, revolting and wrong chewing and chewing all day long…Oh! And it might turn you into a giant blueberry. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2021, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chewing-gum-and-chewing-gum/937228/3 "2021-03-05T05:33:52Z")
I chew minty gum, mostly immediately after meals. Though, I’ve found that I do it less now that I’m not out in public very often – when I was working in an office, or hanging out with friends, I was more conscious about my breath, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Newtosite](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/newtosite/32/8623_2.png) [@Newtosite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Newtosite)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2021, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chewing-gum-and-chewing-gum/937228/4 "2021-03-05T06:06:25Z")
For years I was virtually addicted to Dentyne, Juicy Fruit, and fruit-flavored chicklets. In July of last year, I quit cold turkey and haven’t had a single piece since. It’s not easy. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2021, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chewing-gum-and-chewing-gum/937228/5 "2021-03-05T09:12:39Z")
Moved to IMHO (from GQ). ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2021, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chewing-gum-and-chewing-gum/937228/6 "2021-03-05T13:20:06Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Gum chewing’s fine when it’s once in a while. It stops you from smoking and brightens your smile. But it’s repulsive, revolting and wrong chewing and chewing all day long…Oh! And it might turn you into a giant blueberry. I don’t like the look of it! Before my many thousands of dollars of dental work I enjoyed chewing gum(now I’m afraid it would stick to all the manmade surfaces in my mouth). I’d like to think I trained myself to chew it discretely but I guess you’d have to ask those that were around me at the time. Few things as annoying as hearing / watching someone chomping away. Don’t get me started on the noisy click-pops(sorry, OP). ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2021, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chewing-gum-and-chewing-gum/937228/7 "2021-03-05T13:49:37Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I chew minty gum, mostly immediately after meals. Yeah, I’ll chew a piece of mint gum when I want to clean my teeth or freshen my breath without brushing my teeth. I usually only chew for a few minutes before spitting it out. Once it’s lost its flavor, having it in my mouth is just kind of annoying. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2021, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chewing-gum-and-chewing-gum/937228/8 "2021-03-05T14:04:10Z")
Just watch out for moochers: > **[I Have Been Too Generous With My Gum](https://www.theonion.com/i-have-been-too-generous-with-my-gum-1819583828)** > > I love gum. Anyone who spends time around me knows this to be true. No matter where I am, whether in my home or office or car, I always have at least three or four packs around me. From Big Red to Chiclets, from Trident to Plen-T-Paks of Juicy Fruit,... ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2021, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chewing-gum-and-chewing-gum/937228/9 "2021-03-05T14:09:54Z")
I hate finding chewing gum on the bottom of my shoes, or finding those black spots on the sidewalk from chewing gum, or finding it on the underside of tables. In short, chewing gum is disgusting because of the ways that people dispose of it. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2021, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chewing-gum-and-chewing-gum/937228/10 "2021-03-05T14:18:26Z")
The problem with chewing gum is that it is so easy to forget to use proper manners. Like stop chewing when talking to others. Or not to make “popping” sounds to annoy your coworkers. Or don’t chew while on the job if you work in customer service. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2021, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chewing-gum-and-chewing-gum/937228/11 "2021-03-05T14:23:09Z")
A while back, someone wrote to the New York Times’ “Metropolitan Diary” to complain about the city’s sidewalk gum blobs: > Feb. 21, 2000 > Dear Diary: > I was walking by those great giant legs of the World Trade Center this morning and it dawned on me what I’m actually going to remember most about New York City when I’m living out in the burbs five years from now doing the wife and mommy thing. > It’s not going to be those monstrous Darth Vader-looking Twin Towers that I walk under every day or the Empire State Building or Statue of Liberty. Not even Central Park. It’s going to be the millions and millions of dried-up, flattened globs of gum that people have hurled all over the sidewalk. No matter where you go – Upper East Side, West Side, you name it – just look down and you’ll see these black spots glued to the sidewalk, like flattened quarters left on a railroad track. > Check me out. Look, there’s one, two, three – See! CHRIS MALONEY I still wish the Times had contacted her 19 months later to ask if she’d changed her mind… ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2021, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chewing-gum-and-chewing-gum/937228/12 "2021-03-05T14:44:06Z")
My guess is she had not changed her mind because she wasn’t wrong about the Twin Tower buildings. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2021, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chewing-gum-and-chewing-gum/937228/13 "2021-03-05T14:54:13Z")
I very rarely chew gum. I keep a small pack of minty gum in my purse just in case I feel the need to freshen my breath. But as soon as the flavor is gone I’m done with it. Gum will sometimes give me a stomach ache or make me feel hungry. Also constant chewing makes my jaw sore. In other words, I am not a fan. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2021, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chewing-gum-and-chewing-gum/937228/14 "2021-03-05T16:55:34Z")
I used to chew gum all of the time - especially when playing music. A few years ago I cracked a couple of teeth and puled out a crown while eating, and I decided chewing gum was not worth the expense. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2021, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chewing-gum-and-chewing-gum/937228/15 "2021-03-06T02:29:03Z")
Gum chewing’s a filthy habit! But I know a worse one. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2021, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chewing-gum-and-chewing-gum/937228/16 "2021-03-06T02:53:06Z")
Yeah, gum’s not good if you have an acid stomach. It stimulates the stomach without giving it something to digest. I used to _love_ Black Jack gum. Anyone see that around anywhere lately? ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2021, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chewing-gum-and-chewing-gum/937228/17 "2021-03-06T03:43:58Z")
> [@Newtosite](#): > > For years I was virtually addicted to Dentyne, Juicy Fruit, and > fruit-flavored chicklets. In July of last year, I quit cold turkey > and haven’t had a single piece since. It’s not easy.   Have you tried smoking? ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2021, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chewing-gum-and-chewing-gum/937228/18 "2021-03-06T04:34:22Z")
People who noisily chew gum with their mouths open are disgusting. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2021, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chewing-gum-and-chewing-gum/937228/19 "2021-03-06T12:35:54Z")
When I get a dry tickle in my throat, chewing gum helps ease the cough. It’s especially helpful when I have to wear a mask for an extended period of time. I do tend to pop when I chew, but I hope the mask muffles that sound. When alone, I don’t worry about it - like on a long drive. Once I start to annoy myself, I know it’s time to stop chewing. And being retired, I don’t have to worry about coworkers. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2021, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chewing-gum-and-chewing-gum/937228/20 "2021-03-06T13:34:16Z")
Most definitely. Shocks me that anyone wound not think that. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chewing-gum-and-chewing-gum/937228.md?page=2)