the sweetest job ever :)

One thing we all love to do is blow bubbles and chew bubble gum. No one can seem to get enough of the stuff, and we are always in search of it. Pull gum out at school, and suddenly everyone is your best friend. Many flavors are available to us like Mint, Cherry, Original, Watermelon, Blueberry, Strawberry, Apple, Mint Choc Chip, Strawberry Shortcake and just about any other flavor you could think of. But did you ever stop and wonder how scientists know when gum has just the right flavor? Well, this is where the sweetest job in the world starts.

Meet the gum tasters, who have the awesome job of taste testing every kind of gum made. You don't need any kind of schooling for this job. Actually you don't really need anything except awesome taste buds. In a poll, only 10% of Americans could get this job, because to qualify you need to be able to distinguish among over 70 ingredients. You also have to be very aware of the taste, texture and smell of the gum. Wrigleys is the largest gum company in the world. and they could interview over 2,000 people before they find even the right person!

Gum testers' work day goes a little something like this.. they can't eat or drink at least an hour before they start their job to make sure their taste buds are fresh. The factory then cleans out all the people's taste buds and get the smell and taste senses going. They go through hundreds of kinds of gum a day, writing down texture. taste and what needs to be improved.

Today the gum business is worth over $19 billion, and this is one business where you won't have to worry about losing your job!