# Chewing Tar **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Tags:** accord, honda\ **Created:** [March 29, 2011, 5:50pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chewing-tar/63134 "2011-03-29T17:50:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![dagosa](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/dagosa/32/9837_2.png) [@dagosa](https://community.cartalk.com/u/dagosa)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 12:27pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chewing-tar/63134/21 "2011-03-31T12:27:33Z")
A perfect example of the immorality that exist for profit. Nearly every one with functioning intelligence knew the ills of smoking while we were being fed this crap, including HC professionals. The rest were in denial, hooked or making money off it. ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 2:19pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chewing-tar/63134/22 "2011-03-31T14:19:03Z")
It was amazing when I came back from Nam and living in the bible belt and tobacco row. Morality was thrown out the window in favor of PROFIT. Back then Tobacco farming was very lucrative. From a business point of view…Money has ALWAYS out trumped morality. ---
**Author:** ![dagosa](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/dagosa/32/9837_2.png) [@dagosa](https://community.cartalk.com/u/dagosa)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 3:40pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chewing-tar/63134/23 "2011-03-31T15:40:10Z")
Is it that different today? Only the names and causes have been changed but the greed lives on. ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 3:52pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chewing-tar/63134/24 "2011-03-31T15:52:06Z")
> Is it that different today? It’s probably worse. ---
**Author:** ![oldwrench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@oldwrench](https://community.cartalk.com/u/oldwrench)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2011, 9:39pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chewing-tar/63134/25 "2011-04-03T21:39:48Z")
Kids used to swallow rocks too. I don’t think its a good idea. Its very possible these old guys did what the older kids told them to do. I was told people used to swallow a teaspoon of kerosene to stop coughing. Its possible the “Tar” was actually chewing tobacco that comes in"cakes" It looks and has the consistancy of tar. ---
**Author:** ![George\_Garrigues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@George\_Garrigues](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_Garrigues)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2018, 1:07am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chewing-tar/63134/26 "2018-10-08T01:07:08Z")
I am 86 years old. I used to chew tar, fresh from a big chunk near the working street crew. So stop doubting already. It was done. Kids did not even have a nickel for a pack o’ chewing gum; I mean, where would they get it? ---
**Author:** ![Rod-Knox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Rod-Knox](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Rod-Knox)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2018, 1:38am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chewing-tar/63134/27 "2018-10-08T01:38:15Z")
My dad was 21 when Ford introduced the V-8 and he recalled some people arguing over how the tilted pistons would cause the cylinder walls and pistons to wear faster at the bottom due to the weight of the pistons while others argued that the bottoms would wear slower due to the oil collecting there. But as dumb as that sounds even the totally illiterate people of that time were able to start and drive the cars when today’s “rocket scientists” get aggravated attempting to start a late model car if the IAC valve isn’t working correctly or drive if the automatic parking brake release fails to function. ---
**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2018, 2:31am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chewing-tar/63134/28 "2018-10-08T02:31:22Z")
Someone joined about 1 hour ago to revive an 8 year old thread to talk about chewing road tar. And I thought I got bored at times. ---
**Author:** ![oldtimer-11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e79b87/32.png) [@oldtimer-11](https://community.cartalk.com/u/oldtimer-11)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2018, 3:39am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chewing-tar/63134/29 "2018-10-08T03:39:16Z")
I don’t know how I missed this post 8 years ago. I occasionally chewed road tar as a kid. It was what was melted to mix with gravel to pave roads. It would break and have a shiny surface if you bent it fast enough. It was faintly sweet like licorice and not unpleasant to chew. You didn’t swallow irt; My father in law said every boy in his neighborhood did it. I am older than the men overheard in conversation, I remember when there were no television stations. And when we first got TV there was only one station, and it started programing with a test pattern at 3:45 pm so you could adjust your set and went off the air at 11:30 pm. People were kind of forced to buy TVs when the prime time radio programs started going off the air because all the sponsors wanted to be in the new medium. ---
**Author:** ![Barkydog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/barkydog/32/2470_2.png) [@Barkydog](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Barkydog)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2018, 6:40am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chewing-tar/63134/30 "2018-10-08T06:40:37Z")
ow I feel young, we used to melt lead and pour it into a mold for soldiers to play with, bite lead shot sinkers for the fishing line and be glad when the truck sprayed dioxin on the dirt road to control dust. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2018, 3:37am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chewing-tar/63134/31 "2018-10-10T03:37:31Z")
Ok, if we’re gonna talk about things we chewed as kids, put me down for trying to chew on pine tree pitch during a scouting camp trip … lol … it’s downright chewy, got that going for it, but tastes like turpentine, not recommended. ---
**Author:** ![Connie\_Schauer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/22d042/32.png) [@Connie\_Schauer](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Connie_Schauer)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2019, 5:19am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chewing-tar/63134/32 "2019-01-18T05:19:26Z")
Chewing road tar was common back in the 50s. I did it. Lots of kids did. It’s not a joke. ---
**Author:** ![Connie\_Schauer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/22d042/32.png) [@Connie\_Schauer](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Connie_Schauer)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2019, 5:24am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chewing-tar/63134/33 "2019-01-18T05:24:56Z")
I’m sure the “old gents” were telling the truth. My friends and I would chew road tar when we were 5-7 years old. The fresher the better, as it was still warm then. I’m 70, so at this point, it hasn’t killed me. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2019, 9:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chewing-tar/63134/34 "2019-01-18T21:23:07Z")
Not to continue this but the book I just read referred to kids back in the 40’s being sent to road work sites if they were at risk of contracting tuberculosis. I don’t know if it was the fumes from the tar or the eating tar that the parents expected to ward off TB with but was something I hadn’t heard before. Of course back then and early 50’s, parents were doing all kinds of stuff to keep their kids safe from polio etc. Sometimes there is some scientific basis for old wive’s tales though so who knows? ---
**Author:** ![shadowfax](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/shadowfax/32/13026_2.png) [@shadowfax](https://community.cartalk.com/u/shadowfax)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2019, 9:36pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chewing-tar/63134/35 "2019-01-18T21:36:11Z")
> [@George\_San\_Jose1](#): > > put me down for trying to chew on pine tree pitch during a scouting camp trip … lol … it’s downright chewy, got that going for it, but tastes like turpentine, not recommended. Spruce sap isn’t too bad. Really bitter at first, and it breaks into tiny little pieces until it warms up, but then it’s got a fresh, piney taste that’s kinda nice. Used to chew it sometimes growing up when I was out of store-gum. Of course, those of us who are not kids and who have had dental work can’t chew it anymore, because it’s sticky enough that it’ll pull any fillings out. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/48514_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2019, 9:38pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chewing-tar/63134/36 "2019-01-18T21:38:27Z")
> [@bing](#): > > kids back in the 40s being sent to road work site if they were at risk of contracting tuberculosis So much of the medical advice from The Good Old Days was apparently based on something _other_ than scientific evidence. If you ever read a biography of Teddy Roosevelt, you probably recall the family doctor’s advice for treating young Teddy’s severe asthma. Send him to bed with a good strong cigar! Even if someone doesn’t wind up immolating himself by smoking in bed, how could smoking a cigar possibly relieve asthmatic symptoms–especially in a young child? ---
**Author:** ![old\_mopar\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/6bbea6/32.png) [@old\_mopar\_guy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/old_mopar_guy)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2019, 10:09pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chewing-tar/63134/37 "2019-01-18T22:09:37Z")
I’m the same age as those two guys. A few years ago I picked up a wonderful little book called “The good old days, they were really rotten”. I don’t remember tar chewing, but I do remember some sort of black chewing gum that looked like tar, and I also remember some sort of “tooth powder” instead of toothpaste. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2019, 10:49pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chewing-tar/63134/38 "2019-01-18T22:49:28Z")
I remember the Jack Sprat store used to have that black gum. Can’t remember if it had another name or was just Jack Sprat gum. It was pretty good actually. Jack Sprat was about a block away from the Piggly Wiggly store. I guess they are still going down south. but went the way of National T here. Edit: I think it was called “Black Jack” gum. Try that a few times fast. Black Jack gum at the Jack Sprat store. ---
**Author:** ![old\_mopar\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/6bbea6/32.png) [@old\_mopar\_guy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/old_mopar_guy)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2019, 12:06am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chewing-tar/63134/39 "2019-01-19T00:06:25Z")
We didn’t have any of those stores in Brooklyn, but we had the Dodgers. ---
**Author:** ![shanonia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de053/32.png) [@shanonia](https://community.cartalk.com/u/shanonia)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2019, 12:22am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chewing-tar/63134/40 "2019-01-19T00:22:38Z")
I had never heard of chewing tar but just the other day I read a memoir written in 1968 by an elderly woman. She did as a child. [Previous page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chewing-tar/63134.md?page=1) [Next page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chewing-tar/63134.md?page=3)