Hell-O Jell-O

Vacations often present unanticipated adventures. En route to Baltimore, we went through Le Roy, NY and just had to stop at the Jell-O Museum. I was expecting a Disney-style tribute to “America’s most famous dessert” but instead found an intimate, intriguing display as unassuming as the dessert itself. The modest museum is tucked away behind a larger building and marked with only a sandwich board. But for the tenacious, it’s worth the search and a half-hour of your time.

Bonus: Our CAA card got us a discounted admission (we paid $2.50 instead of a whopping $3.00) and the run of the place, which included the transportation museum in the basement.

While you can read the history of Jell-O on-line, you have to go to the museum itself if you want to buy a brain-shaped jelly mold. One of my travel buddies bought one for his Grade 5 class and I’m sure Hallowe’en this year will be something else. But Jell-O is spooky for other reasons. I’m not sure if they were bored, hyped up on high-sucrose cherry Jell-O or lost a bet, but technicians at Batavia’s St. Jerome Hospital hooked an EEG machine up to a bowl of Jell-O and ran tests. Turns out this wiggly dessert has “brain” waves similar to humans. I’m not sure what that says about the intelligence of mankind or the potential uses of Jell-O, but I’ve seen the readouts and they’re downright scary. The disturbing similarities also explain why the phrase “Smart as Jell-O” hasn’t worked its way into the vernacular.

Although humans may be like Jell-O in certain ways, how we like our Jell-O is not universal. According to our guide, most people like the red flavours — be it cherry, raspberry or strawberry — but Mormons like lime. Her proof? When the Mormons are in town for the annual convention, the votes for lime Jell-O skyrocket.

Other Jell-O facts:

• Fresh fruit tends to float in Jell-O while seedless grapes and fruit packed in heavy syrup sink.
• Jell-O will set if you add tinned pineapple, but won’t if you use fresh.
• Jell-O’s inventor stumbled upon the recipe while trying to make a cough remedy / laxative.
• Jell-O’s recipe was never patented.

So, when it comes to this potentially intelligent failed laxative, what’s your favourite flavour?