 "Jell-O:
A Biography"
by Carolyn Wyman, 2001
Carolyn Wyman, who
also authored Spam: A Biography, now tackles the legend and lore of America's
strangest most-beloved desert/sidedish. (The debate of its true standing--whether
dessert or salad--is as heated as the "Tastes great"/"Less Filling" fight.)
Tracing its humble orgins over a hundred years ago, Wyman also goes to
considerable lengths to detail how Jell-O has effected pop culture. Through
marketing and our just-plain-strange attraction to this gelatin dish, Jell-O
has wiggled and jiggled into the hearts and minds of all Americans. Sure,
Jell-O is the staple of the holiday or potluck table, but don't forget
about the recent inventions of Jell-O shots and nude Jell-O wrestling.
Jell-O is the most wholesome food out there while at the same time it is
the food that is almost obscene with its human-like undulations. Maybe
its that dichotomy that attracts us to it. Or maybe it's just all the fruity
flavors it comes in. Jell-O: A Biography includes recipes for such
unusual Jell-O dishes as Jell-O popcorn, Strawberry Pretzel Salad, Barbecue
Jell-O--but it far from a cook book for Jell-O freaks. This book contains
the scientific reason why Jell-O does what it does and also has an interesting
section about how a Canadian doctor hooked a plate-full of Jell-O to an
EEG machine. The readings he got were almost identical to the EEG readout
of a normal, healthy human. Maybe it is that, more than anything else that
explains our brotherhood with this dessert. No matter what--there is always
room for Jell-O.
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