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Singapore is famous for micromanaging everything it can get its fussy, white-gloved hands on. Even its citizens' love lives: To correct falling birth rates, the government offered incentives to couples who have more than one baby, and launched an initiative called Romancing Singapore. There are jingles, a cake of the month, dating tips, and a pair of special fragrances created by local polytechnic students. Hers is floral; his is musky.

Romance is one thing, but vice is something else altogether. To boost tourism and foreign investment, the city-state-a 239-square-mile island off the southern tip of Malaysia-is chipping away at its rulebound culture. You can now dance on tables, attend gay parties, and buy Cosmopolitan magazine. In a refutation of Singapore's most infamous law, you are also allowed to buy gum.

Restrictions apply. The gum must be sugarless and therapeutic, and it's only available ...