I liked the blandness of it, and I would try to put as much in my mouth as I could reasonably chew on, and just chew on it as long as possible.

I've looked into oral fixations, iron deficiency (pica is a symptom), and I can't really explain it except that I found it soothing and a way to cope with other sensory things that I found overwhelming. Now I think of it similar to cigarettes, like a hypothetical pleasing vice that I may be tempted by but feel no compulsion toward.