Hello JELL-O!
Monday, May 28, 2012 Redmond (6) and I were cruising the aisles of Costco recently. He asked for the giant above-ground swimming pool, I told him no. He thought the 10-person tent would be perfect for our family, again I said no. The outdoor play house (too tiny, actually) and playset (assembly required) were reasonable requests. I'm sorry, honey, but we have plenty of things to play with at home.
He felt denied and mildly disappointed. I don't believe he expected me to purchase any of those dreamy items, but summer's nearly here and the merchandising at Costco is heady.
Then I spotted her. A sample lady...and she had Jell-O.
We waited in a line as long and intense as one at the Magic Kingdom entrance gates. Frazzled mothers with handfuls of kids, whining, grabbing, the frustrated sample lady asking unattended kids where their mother was and informing them that she needed a parent's permission to give a sample, self-restraint evident in her voice and eyes.
Finally, our turn. Redmond didn't know what we were waiting for. "A special treat," I told him.
"Would you like green or red?" the sample lady asked him.
He surveyed the little white cups, each with a tablespoon or two of jiggly goodness, then looked at me confused.
"It's Jell-O," I said.
"What's Jell-O?"
The entire store silenced. I think. All of the moms and kids behind us gasped. A young voice said, "I'll take his!"
I grabbed a green and headed toward the eggs—the Kirkland Organic Brown Eggs (Cage-free!).
Parke and Duke have had Jell-O. I don't know how Redmond missed this experience. I don't care for the *food* myself, so it's not a treat in our house, but to live almost seven years and not even know what Jell-O is...
He hesitantly tried the sample. "I like Jell-O," he said. "Can we buy some?"
No.
Reader Comments (11)
Hahaha! I so love your voice. Ahhhh jello... Do you know what it's made of?!? xoxo
Thanks, Pam. And, YES! I know what's in Jell-O...collagen. I can't think about it.
So, so funny. I don't know if Fi has ever tried or heard of jello. Certainly NOT in my house.
Her first experience with Oreo's was pretty funny: I sent her to school with a healthy snack that she didn't love -- can't remember what exactly -- and when she came home I discovered she hadn't eaten any of it. I asked her what happened at snack time, and she told me her friend Daisy had shared her snack with her - "black cookies, with white cream in-between them -- SO GOOD MOMMY CAN WE BUY SOME??"
Needless to say, I had a word with her teacher...
Hilarious blog, Chrisy! I can almost hear a pin drop in the Jell-O line. It's odd - we throw away Jello half-eaten in our house. Are there certain foods that don't make the transition from one generation to the next? Maybe I'll email the folks at Malt-o-meal and find out...
Christy, I think you have a blog post with that one. Funny! We should come up with a list of foods that it's sacrilege for us not to expose our children to. Jell-O, Oreos, corn dogs (I don't think Redmond's had one), and like John mentioned...Malt-O-Meal.
John, I loved Malt-O-Meal! I'm sure there are lots of foods that have been on grocery store shelves for a decade or two—like the Island of Misfit Toys. My brother used to eat that striped Goober Peanut Butter & Jelly. Awful.
I think Jello finally did make an appearance in our house last summer...but it was my husband's doing. I find it revolting. And I discovered that it has a ridiculously long prep time. So not worth it.
I wish I could go back in time and tell my new mom self to stand firm on the chicken nuggets debate. I said "gross" and why introduce a baby to that kind of processed food. And Chris (the winner by default of purchasing a bag of nuggets that we couldn't waste) said, "they're kid food! All kids eat chicken nuggets!" What he didn't consider is that once kids go down the nuggets road, they don't come back to non-processed chicken. While the the strict moms who only allow wheat bread and dye-free, homemade treats can be a bit insufferable...they also have children who get excited about melon for dessert.
Living in the land of Jell-o must be difficult. Stay strong.
Let's not mention Spaghetti-os. My sister made some for my kids last summer and my then 4 yr old started gagging from the smell. Needless to say none of the kids ate it.
Oh I love it! Judgment without a word spoken... Wonderful blog post!!
Don't forget about Velveeta. Can you really call that one food?
All these things you people hate? It's what's for dinner. We are neanderthals . . .
Funny! My memory: Devil's Ham--and SPAM. (FYI: Every year, Austin hosts SPAMARAMA, billed as a "Pandemonious Potted Pork Festival".)
That's so funny. I'm not sure what Jell-O is either - but I guess it makes jelly when you mix it with water?