Thou Shalt Not Chew

So I bought some chewing gum yesterday from the pharmacist (gasp!).

The experience was more interesting than I had previously been led to imagine. I bought gum previously from the Guardian Pharmacy at Paragon and the gum rack had been banished to the pharmacist's corner, but it was clearly visible so I just picked out the stash and paid for it.

Yesterday I bought the same thing from Guardian Pharmacy at Suntec, and frankly it's easier to buy pirated porn from the neighbourhood shop. There's no bloody display - you've got to wait for the pharmacist (whom I am sure has better things to do) to come over, then ask her for chewing gum (Did you say Gum? Yes, I did), then she opens a drawer and pulls out a box of 3 different flavours. Only 1 mint flavour, and that's peppermint. But before I can lay my grubby little paws on it, I hafta write down my name, NRIC Number and mobile number.

Then I picked 2 peppermint gum palettes out of the box, and the poor pharmacist has to make a special notation against my name. (Greedy! Took 2! is probably what it says).

I was a little surprised that I didn't have to leave a spit sample or a mouth swab, in case they find gum under a train seat and need to trace the perp.

This gum nonsense is seriously, seriously annoying. First of all, I'd rather chew gum to clear my breath and palate than a mint. A mint just leaves a little coat on your tongue. Gum actually cleans, and dental gum will add a little bit of tooth protection into the mix. There's also the added benefit of a little jaw exercise and fresh spit, but let's not get carried away here and I'm sure that came out all wrong as well.

Anyway, doing another overnighter and this is my 10 mins of venting frustration.