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Re: The chewing gum question
Posted By: Sam, on host 209.187.117.100
Date: Wednesday, February 19, 2003, at 12:10:36
In Reply To: Re: The chewing gum question posted by Dave on Wednesday, February 19, 2003, at 11:55:03:

> No. No no no. The gum itself is just the means of delivery for something that *might* be considered food (sugar, flavor -- I don't buy that the things in gum have any *nutritional* value) the same way that chewing tobacco is the means of delivery for the active ingredient of nicotine. That you injest the juice of one and not the other has no bearing on anything (besides, there are plenty of men who *do* ingest some or all of the juice--it makes most people sick, but apparently you can build up a tolerance to it). You still use the gum/tobacco to get the ingredient you want (sugar/flavor/nicotine) and DISPOSE OF IT WHEN YOU ARE DONE.
>
> IT IS NOT FOOD


I was with you on this one, Dave, until I read your own defense. We agree that the gooey part of gum, which is non-digestable and not intended to be eaten, is not food. However, those juices that are secreted* when chewing gum, consisting of sugar and some flavoring, ARE food. So the question becomes, are these juices considered part of what "gum" is? I think so: I think this very thread may be the first time in my life I've ever heard someone use the term "gum" to mean "gum except for the secreted juices you swallow and digest."

It seems gum would have to be considered a mixture of food and non-food (kind of like Kinder Eggs, only not), albeit one in which the non-food component is much greater.

--

* Who thinks chewing something that "secretes juices" is gross?

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