It's Jell-O Time

Written by Jen Tuesday, 03 February 2009 03:12

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My husband and son have been struggling with a tummy bug so I decided to whip up some Jell-O® this morning. While the rest of my family finds this palatable, I have never been able to swallow much of the slippery stuff. It baffles me that people find it gratifying to slurp down something so abnormal in appearance and texture.

The lure of Jell-O so mystifies me that I just had to find out more about it. But when I learned that gelatin comes from the collagen in cow or pig bones, hooves, and connective tissues, (http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/question557.htm), it all made sense. Mmmmm. Doesn't that just sound tasty? No wonder we love it!

Imagine old Charles B. Knox watching his wife boiling down those hooves. His mind was racing, no doubt, conjuring up the invention that would catapult him into the annals of history. I can just hear the conversation:

"Hey, babe, I can make that job a lot easier for you. Let me get to work out back by the shed. Got any extra feet I can use?"

If I could possibly get beyond the gross-out factor that comes just from discovering Jell-O's main ingredient, it would still be tough to forget the mess cherry Jell-O jigglers make when lobbed at the kitchen wall. Ok, I was aiming at my husband, or destined-to-be-husband, who really didn't deserve my wrath.

The summer before my senior year of college, I contracted a wicked case of mononucleosis and the only thing I could swallow was-you guessed it-Jell-O. My sweetie came to visit and tried to coax me into taking just one more bite. I didn't take the suggestion all too well and red Jell-O ended up plastered to the door frame. Except in those few instances when I was hospitalized and left defenseless, I have avoided anything gelatinous for every reason whatsoever.

But because I love my husband and three children, I prepared some delicious lemon Jell-O for this evening's dessert. "We NEVER have this," said my daughter excitedly. "Hey, there are only four dishes," noted my son.

That's right. Enjoy!