Elmers glue is edible.

seanhunter an hour ago | parent | next [-]

Surely all glue is edible, you just have to commit a bit more to some glues than others.

It's like that saying about mushrooms: "All mushrooms are edible. It's just that some mushrooms you only get to eat once."

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implements 13 minutes ago | parent | next [-]

I was taught “Edible (fit to be eaten as food) vs Eatable (capable of being chewed up and swallowed)” but modern usage seems to treat them as synonyms (the former just being more pleasant to eat than the latter).

	▲	doubled112 2 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		Hah, old memories unlocked. As a kid I remember using “eatable” to mess with people because it “wasn’t a word”. Is it edible? Yeah, it is eatable. Here I am, years later, learning I was right all along.

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goodcanadian an hour ago | parent | prev [-]

I recently watched a video about death cap mushrooms (the deadliest, supposedly), and apparently about 80% of people still survive (requires prompt medical treatment), not that they would want to repeat the experiment. Apparently, the mushrooms even taste good.

Anyway, edible normally means "safe to eat," not just "possible to eat." (As you are no doubt aware). IIRC, Elmer's glue is considered safe to eat though not necessarily appetising.

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ButlerianJihad an hour ago | parent | prev [-]

Elmer's white glue is "non-toxic" but today, it is made with synthetics. Since my youth in the early 80s, Elmer's has never been particularly appetizing or appealing to put in my mouth.

I believe that the stereotypical "craft food" is actually paste, which is often based on starches like corn or wheat. Children are very likely to put paste in their mouths and try eating it, because it is indeed based on food products.

I've frankly never been in a school that provided a lot of paste, and the switch to Elmer's glue may have been a strategy to stop kids from consuming the food-based stuff. However, I was in a summer science course where we crafted "Oobleck" which is also sort of "edible" if you like eating clay that's been squeezed between the filthy little hands of 8-year-old boys.