Ruminants that chew the cud for digestive purposes I can understand, but humans?
Those of us old enough,and I include myself,remember when chewing gum was in fact a currency...
Change at the local cafe was always given in "Chappies" in lieu of the the official tender...
Not only did you have something to chew on, you also got something to chew over...for inside the wrapper were trivia questions and answers.
Therefore, the gum could be seen as educational...well at least that is what I told my parents when I returned without change...
The other major brand of the day was "Wicks", larger and with no educational value at all they tasted like the smell of Wintergreen( or perhaps root beer)... It was the king of Bubble gum as the product was called back then.
There were other brands,like Stimorol that are still around today and who,and I include myself once again, remembers popping a Musk flavoured gum just before a kiss? Or just because the taste was cool...if you had no one to kiss...
But how times have changed...much like the difference between pinball( a sign of a misspent youth) and the video/computer games of today that purport to promote hand/ eye co-ordination!
Now chewing gum is used to promote dental hygiene and keeping your breath fresh all day when you cannot brush...does it work? Who knows but the marketing seems to be working because it seems as if EVERYONE is chewing...CONSTANTLY...and especially sales staff.
And this is really the crux of my rant...
I get really pissed at staff who chew when they interact with me.Swallow the bloody stuff or can employers ban it altogether?
The manager of a local supermarket told me that he makes sure that his staff does not walk around like a herd of cows. But I have been to his store and found staff chewing...
I pose the question...should it be all staff or only those who interact with clients?
At a large discount store ALL the staff that I interacted with were chewing...it made me want to stand in the middle of the shop and scream "ENOUGH,STEP AWAY FROM THE GUM"!
Could they at least stow it in a cheek while talking to customers?
But I did not react or comment, I paid for my purchase and left.
I am writing this while sitting at my favourite coffee shop and I asked the manager about the group policy on staff and gum...his response.."No gum at all.Neither the staff on the floor or back of house"...and that is why it is my favourite coffee shop!
Although not limited to a particular age group or gender, it does seem to me that young women chew more than their male counterparts...I have not done any scientific research...my comment is based on watching the people in the shopping mall as they walk past me...
Perhaps I am wrong? Maybe! But what I have proved is that we have become a society that is prepared to masticate in public!
Can the scourge be reversed? Compared to global warming and cancer, does it really matter? Perhaps not...
Gary Larson (The Far Side cartoonist) got it right when he gave his animals human traits...now perhaps the tables have turned and we as humans are slowly returning to the primordial ooze...one trait at a time...
With that off my chest it's time to moo(ve) on...
Chew on that!
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