Believe it or not, these old packs of "Big Red" were some of my favorite items in the bag. When Wrigley's changed the classic packaging for the gum, I was crushed. It wasn't a massive change -- it was still red, and it still said "Big Red," but it just wasn't the same. There's so few constants in life, and even the stuff we think of as constants usually proves us wrong in time. I never thought it'd happen to Big Red, though. I lived under the happy belief that Big Red chewing gum would always arrive in the package shown at left. How wrong I was. How sad it is. Delis that aren't too cautious about selling old candy might still have some of the old packs, but eventually, they'll be gone. It's a brave new Big Red for a brave new world, and it totally depresses me. Depresses me enough to chew fifteen-year-old Big Red, and let me tell you, it holds up a lot better than one might imagine. A little stale, but still spicy.
