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Mon 26 Apr, 2004 08:49 am
A trivial fact, but true:
General/Presidente Santa Anna, who defeated the Texian garrison at the Alamo, contributed to the invention of chewing gum.
The very same Santa Anna, old and in exile, was living in Staten Island in 1871. He imported a large quantity of sap from central American chicozapote trees (chicle) to the US, hoping to find a market for it. It was the first introduction of chicle to the US. In central America, chicle's use as a chewable substance was already known, but it was not very palatable. Because it was similar to natural latex, Santa Anna thought perhaps chicle could be used in American industry as a rubber substitute.
Santa Anna showed the chewable chicle to his secretary, Thomas Adams. Adams came up with the idea of adding sugar and flavoring to chicle, and voila- chewing gum was born.
I'm still chewing on that one.
chicle - chiclette anyone??
Would that make "The Alamo" a chicle flick?
Oh, now, don't gum up the works.
And keep your chicle pickin' hands to yourself.
This is all going to encourage people to stick their gum under theater seats.
Remember the Alamo--dadgummit!
Perhaps if we had invented chewing gum and they had it at the Alamo, they could have shot expended wads out of a cannon and really messed up the hair of Santa Anna's army. Having a bad hair day, they may have retreated.
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