UM Lake Osceola

This photo is taken from the heart of the main campus of the University of Miami, my alma mater. This is one of my many favorite spots in this campus. On the left is lake Osceola where the students traditionally burn a symbolic boat during the rally for the home coming football game in November. The white buildings at a distance on the left are part of the music school. Seen on the right are the outdoor tables, chairs and swingers for meals served by the Rathskeller, a popular hangout for students. Lining the lake on this side are ancient sapodilla (Manilkara Zapota L. in the family of Sapotaceae) trees, known as chewing-gum trees. For decades, I have never seen any fruits on these trees and don't know why that is. You may not know this, but chewing gum originally was made from a thick juice called “chicle” that comes from the sapodilla tree. Zigzag cuts are made along the tree trunk so that the thick white juice inside drips out and are collected in small bags. The juice is later boiled with corn syrup, glycerin, sugar and flavoring. It is then dried, rolled and cut into bite-size pieces.