Monday, June 07, 2021

Bubble Gum

 Slow Sunday, as ever, but not too bad. Morning was the usual. After lunch, I bused to town. It was a beautiful day--sunny, low seventies, no humidity--and Main Street was jammed with people. All the outdoor parts of all the restaurants were filled and I'm sure so were the insides. So festive and so good to see. 

Mike had suggested bubble gum for the girls' July birthdays--Violet will become a teenager on the tenth and Vivian turns 17 on the twenty-ninth. Gum, except the "therapeutic" kind (Nicorette and so on) isn't permitted to be sold in Singapore. I find the reason for the ban fascinating and added the short version of the reason below.

Stopped at Rocket Candy to get the stuff, but I didn't like the selection. Once I got close to home, I stopped at CVS and found a large bag--1.68 pounds of classic Fleer's Dubble Bubble--perfect! I divided the stuff into two pretty, sparkly round boxes I had, and will send it off today. 

Chewing gum is banned in Singapore under the Regulation of Imports and Exports (Chewing Gum) Regulations. The ban, which includes all gum substances of vegetable or synthetic origin such as bubble gum and dental chewing gum, carries a hefty fine and possible jail term for those caught importing, selling or manufacturing chewing gum.

One of the objectives of the ban was to prevent vandals from using spent chewing gums to disrupt Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) services. Before the ban was enforced, there had been many instances in which vandals stuck chewing gum on door sensor of MRT trains, which prevented the doors from functioning properly and causing disruptions in train services. 



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