Chewing Gum Memory 1:
Remember how people chewed gum, spat it out and left disgusting gooey on the pavement? And the gum hardened and dried up? And it was such a nuisance?
Chewing Gum Memory 2:
Remember bubblegum music from around 1967 to 1972? Or was it bubblegum rock, bubblegum pop, or simply bubblegum. It was a genre of pops with an upbeat sound marketed to appeal to teenagers.
Popular groups like, 1910 Fruitgum Company, The Ohio Express and The Archies were representative of bubblegum music and the most successful bubblegum song was Sugar, Sugar. Afterwards in 1969 bubble gum singer Tommy Roe came along, sang Dizzy and it became a hit.
Chewing Gum Memory 3:
I remember the nerve wrecking time that band boys and girls had in the 60s just before a performance at the National Theatre, Victoria Memorial Hall or other venues. Imagine standing backstage and behind the gigantic curtains, waiting for your name to be announced? It was tough especially for those who were appearing for the first time and worse for those appearing at talentime contests or perhaps during our current Final 1 at Media Corps?
What really kept them going were not the encouraging words from fellow musicians but the Chiclets or Wrigley's they had in their mouth. It was security for the soul, reducing the chattering of teeth and a shivering heart. BTW what happens to the gum during singing? So what do you guys chew today since gum is banned here?
Chewing Gum Memory 4:
In 1973 when Peter Shaffer's play Equus became the talk of the theatre world and English Literature classes , antagonist and psychiatric patient Alan Strang's repeated mimicry of a radio advertisement, "Double your pleasure, Double your fun, With Doublemint, Doublemint, Doublemint gum..." brought back sticking gum memories. ((Act 1/Scene 3. Penguin Plays/Shaffer/Page 214).
Chewing Gum Memory 5:
It was banned in Singapore around 1992 because nasty people stuck them on the door sensors of MRT trains, preventing the doors from functioning properly and causing disruption of train services. It was not easy to catch the culprits but western countries made a hue and cry.
Chewing Gum Memory 6:
In March 2013, Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire, UK banned chewing gum since they found 22 pieces of discarded gum in just one square foot of pavement. Even many schools in the US banned it today. Lee Kuan Yew once responded to criticism that banning gum stifled creativity by saying, "If you can't think because you can't chew, try a banana."
Here's a poser though. Was it Goh Chok Tong who banned chewing gum officially after all the problems connected to it?
To this day pharmacies in Singapore still carry chewing gums for people who wish to quit smoking and sugar-free gum that contains calcium lactate for those who believe that it strengthens tooth enamel.
Chewing Gum Memory 7:
(Latest insert on 20th March, 2014)
Daniel Wang, Singaporean, was the man responsible for some of the cleaner habits we enjoy and practise today. When the authorities wanted to ban chewing gum Wang had the unenviable task of banning it in Singapore. And it turned out to be a successful campaign although there were grumbles all round, especially amongst the young and cigarette smokers. Daniel Wang had passed away in March, 2014. He was Director General of Public Health with the National Environment Agency these last few years.
Dump The Gum. Here's A Much Better Alternative
Mentholated Sweets:
Hacks and other mentholated sweets were a boon too. No one wanted to risk that up-close moment without a Hacks since it kept the breath fresh and sweet. Only ten cents for four, in the 60s that is. Better suck one because nervousness can make the mouth run dry and your partner cry! So dump the gum and eat a sweet. Wot? Teeth will rot.