“Jell-O”
from Kentucky Derby by Andrea Cohen
Beginning and end…
O, I remember those days
stuck in bed with a lunch
that wiggled, like a pet
that happy to see you,
a pet you were meant to eat.[…]
O, love is strange, we do
strange things: give a child
a wild-eyed herd of horses
in a bowl and expect
her to get better.
Note: gelatin was/is made from animal parts.
If you think this is myth, I cite Snopes as my authority
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/gelatin-source/
See agar-agar for a vegetarian option
{Every adolescent learning to cook should do a year of being vegetarian or at least handle agar-agar and adjust sugar which you often can’t do with a commercial product … }
Note the placement of the O in Andrea Cohen’s poem at the line openings. The horse references are an appropriate leitmotif in a book with the title Kentucky Derby.
Jell-O is the trademarked name. “Jello” is the generic word that you will find in late twentieth-century (or later) dictionary.
The book Hello Jell-O! by Victoria Belanger has a disclaimer right on the cover: “This book is not sponsored by, endorsed by, or affiliated in any way with Jell-O®, Jell-O is a registered trademark of Kraft Foods.” Kraft in turn were sponsors of television programs and their products were a big part of imparting an appreciation for new tastes in many a working-class household.
And so for day 2742
16.06.2014