Chewing gum for the curiously masochistic

Altoids, those “curiously strong mints” that burn the tongue like pure sodium, are also chewable in the form of an extraordinarily sour gum. That consumers enjoy inflicting such pain on themselves has always struck us as a bit strange, and seems at odds with what was meant to be the brand’s original intent: to allay discomfort, not cause it. Yes, it’s true. Altoids’ Web site explains that the mints began as a lozenge to relieve intestinal pain and stop “poisonous