Part of my job is literally to chew gum and then spit it out. Yes, I get paid to do this.

A few months ago, the chewing gum base was made out of a polymer that tasted pretty much exactly like vomit. It was awful. But we don't get paid if we can't chew it, so my fellow testers and I gave it a good shot. There were about ten of us standing around this lab, trying desperately to chew without throwing up. Every few minutes, one of us would fail and have to run for the sink. The sound and smell of retching just made it that much more difficult for the rest of us. It was like an obstacle course, where one's senses were the obstacles.

Astoundingly, I made it through the full time. Success!

But now that I'm telling this story, I can taste the memory of that gum. It still makes me want to yack.