Lessons for stupid Singaporeans #3Does eating too much instant noodles cause the build up of wax in your stomach? Who dreams up these wild scares anyway? Styrofoam does an excellent job all on its own in keeping a hot liquid hot, and the thicker "heat 'n' serve" containers made of it stand up very well to microwave heating. There'd be no need to use wax on such a container, because any use it could possibly serve is already well handled by the styrofoam. Besides, coating with wax the interior of a styrofoam container one knows would be used to heat a product would be rather pointless, because heat will melt wax, thus incorporating what was supposed to be part of the package into the foodstuff. Manufacturers of instant foods have a hard enough time convincing folks that their stuff tastes good enough to eat without introducing melted wax into the equation. Even if wax were used in the styrofoam containers, and even if some of it did get into the food, it wouldn't adversely affect the average person. (It might possibly cause a problem for infants or those with damaged or impaired digestive systems, but not ordinary, healthy adults.) Though it's not generally known, a number of candies routinely contain wax products. (Rowntree's "Smarties" and Just Born's "Peeps" immediately come to mind — carnauba wax is used in these products, as it is in candy corn.) In some confections, the wax is more upfront, as countless children who've indulged in wax lips and wax "soda" bottles will happily attest. To the best of our knowledge, none of the indulgers in these products have had to have the wax scraped out of their stomachs (including my husband, who in the Octobers of his childhood happily ate several pieces of wax a day). This badly-constructed scare would have us believe someone's unnamed nephew in the United Kingdom died from a buildup of wax in his stomach. Wax, like just about anything else one swallows, is pushed through the digestive system and exits the body as part of a bowel movement. Nothing inherently special in wax would turn it into a permanent coating clinging forever to the stomach lining. Use your noodle, and don't pass this silly scare on. Whenever somebody tells you something, do not believe it readily just because they are much older than you and seem to know what they are talking. If you believe readily in them without first checking out the facts for yourself, you will, one day, spread untruths to people who look up to you too, thus spreading untruths once again. Parents, friends, teachers, pastors, authorities may not always be right. Remember, they were all young once too. Ever wondered who told them what they knew? Savant at 9/05/2006 12:03:00 pm ; (0) comments Lessons for stupid Singaporeans #2Astrology does not equal to Astronomy Enough said. Savant at 9/04/2006 07:57:00 pm ; (0) comments Lessons for stupid Singaporeans #1Maggi is a Nestle brand of instant soups, stocks and noodles. It was founded by the Maggi family in Switzerland in the 19th century, and merged with Nestle in 1947. Maggi isn't from malaysia. ok? Savant at 9/03/2006 04:33:00 pm ; (0) comments
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