First off, it's interesting to note that the term 'jello' has become interchangeable with the term 'gelatin'. Many cookbooks use 'jello' as a term, assuming the reader knows what is being referenced.
"It would seem that America has pretty much an insatiable appetite for the salad/dessert that jiggles."
During the 1970's, there were surveys conduced on the American public that said that the reason Jell-O was so popular because of its emotional ties rather than its versatility. But why does Jell-O have such emotional ties to the average Americans?
The 1930s promoted the speediness of Jell-O; during the 1950s, the Jell-O campaign promoted the 'cooking' of Jell-O would make the average housewife more creative and fun. Many people considered it to be the height of sophistication. However, as decades passed, Jell-O shifted from a high-end, sophisticated snack to a simple, plain and almost embarrassing meal. It showed that people were unable to afford anything more expensive than Jell-O.
Artists like Norman Rockwell and Maxfield Parrish made advertisements and the cover of many Jell-O cookbooks.
Studies show that Jell-O reminds people of their childhood: Jell-O is a staple of very young childhood, when children are first learning how to feed themselves. Many interviewees recall how Jell-O feeds into many family traditions. It really resonates more to suburban families than to city ones; wives had to prepare food and it had to be made as quickly as possible.
Here is a commercial for Jell-O from 1955:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fazdN59SNg
Sources
" 'The Jell-O Syndrome': Investigating Popular Culture/Foodways", Sarah E. Newton, (Western Folklore, Vol. 51, No. 3/4 Jul. - Oct., 1992) 249-267
"It would seem that America has pretty much an insatiable appetite for the salad/dessert that jiggles."
During the 1970's, there were surveys conduced on the American public that said that the reason Jell-O was so popular because of its emotional ties rather than its versatility. But why does Jell-O have such emotional ties to the average Americans?
The 1930s promoted the speediness of Jell-O; during the 1950s, the Jell-O campaign promoted the 'cooking' of Jell-O would make the average housewife more creative and fun. Many people considered it to be the height of sophistication. However, as decades passed, Jell-O shifted from a high-end, sophisticated snack to a simple, plain and almost embarrassing meal. It showed that people were unable to afford anything more expensive than Jell-O.
Artists like Norman Rockwell and Maxfield Parrish made advertisements and the cover of many Jell-O cookbooks.
Studies show that Jell-O reminds people of their childhood: Jell-O is a staple of very young childhood, when children are first learning how to feed themselves. Many interviewees recall how Jell-O feeds into many family traditions. It really resonates more to suburban families than to city ones; wives had to prepare food and it had to be made as quickly as possible.
Here is a commercial for Jell-O from 1955:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fazdN59SNg
Sources
" 'The Jell-O Syndrome': Investigating Popular Culture/Foodways", Sarah E. Newton, (Western Folklore, Vol. 51, No. 3/4 Jul. - Oct., 1992) 249-267
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