Scrape It Off, Scrape It Off

The Atlantic ^ | Nov 11, 2015 | Alan Taylor

[Daffynition]

On a wall in Seattle’s Pike Place Market, thousands of pounds of chewing gum have built up over the past 20 years, stuck there by locals and visitors, eventually becoming a tourist attraction on its own. This week, the millions of gum wads are being scraped and steam-cleaned away, in a move to preserve the historic buildings, according to a story in The Seattle Times. The Times also reports that the Pike Place Market Preservation & Development Authority plans to weigh the removed gum before throwing it out. There are apparently no plans to prevent the gum wall from returning once the cleaning is complete.

[uglybiker]

Why scrape it off? I would have sprayed a gum-eating bacteria and fungus spores on it, then some nutrients, followed by cactus and mushrooms.

Because then the local hipsters would start eating it.

[roadcat]

Because then the local hipsters would start eating it.

But that's the whole idea behind my proposal. It's organic! It would be a lot cheaper than hiring that cleaning crew to steam and scrape. How many thousands of dollars did that cost? My solution is not only cheaper, but creates a living art and a feeding trough for residents. I've been to Pike's Place Market in Seattle, and stayed at a hotel a couple blocks away. It's a horrible place with zombies roaming the streets at night (what you call hipsters).