My name is Valerie. I'm calling from Richlands, North Carolina. And my question is something my husband

and I have debated about for months. What the heck is bubble gum flavor?

That is a good question. I can immediately call up the flavor in my mind when someone says it, because like most people who grew up in America, I chewed plenty of bubblegum as a kid. But there's like no bubblegum tree. So yeah, what is it?

This business of bubblegum's true essence is not the only question on gastropod listeners' minds these days. The world is full of mysteries,

and you are all curious about them. Fortunately, Gastropod is here to investigate. That's right,

you are listening to Gastropod, the podcast that looks at food through the lens of science and history.

I'm Nicola Twilly. And I'm Cynthia Graber. And in this installment of our Ask

Gastropod series, we've selected three of your questions to answer. Bubblegum is obviously one of

those. And then Oliver, who's South African, wanted to know if it's true that all the Roy Bist

tea in the entire world comes from a particular mountain range in his home country. That seemed

pretty far-fetched to him. And our listener, Porter, has an important question about meal kits. Are they better for the planet than just

buying ingredients at the grocery store, even with all that packaging? Has anyone done those

calculations? We have the answers. This episode was supported in part by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

for the public understanding of science, technology, and economics. Gastropod is part of the Vox Media Podcast Network in partnership with

Eater. And a quick heads up before we get going today, the paperback version of my book,

Frostbite, is out on June 24th, so if you have been waiting for that soft, soft cover,

this is your cue to get out there and

purchase a copy. It's won a bunch of awards. The New York Times called it a page turner

that was hard to put down. And if you like this show, you'll love it.

On June 25th, Ironheart arrives on Disney Plus.

What is going all with you?

From Marvel Television, an executive producer, Ryan Coogler.

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