This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Utahns are always in a Jell-O state of mind, eating more of the jiggly stuff than residents in any other state.
We'll be eating plenty of it this week on Thanksgiving day, as molded gelatin has a place on local holiday tables right next to the turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes.
Jell-O may be big in the Beehive State, but we don't take it too seriously. In fact, we like to laugh about our quirky culinary tradition, which helps to explain why The Tribune received more than 460 entries in our 4th annual Jell-O Haiku contest. Students in kindergarten through 12th grade accounted for more than half the entries.
Here are the first-, second- and third-place winners in our adult and student categories. We've also listed a few honorable mentions so you can help us celebrate our great Jell-O state.
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First-place winners
Adult
Thickening orange sea
Thousands of carrot shreds drift
Total entrapment.
Helen Sullivan
Grades 7-12
It ripples, jiggles:
Shifting with minuscule taps—
Like politicians.
Andrew Andreasen
Grades K-6
Jell-O makes me puke.
Add mallows, carrots and cukes?
It should all be nuked!
Sadie AbuHaidar
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Second-place winners
Adult
Quivering Jell-O
Flashes of carrot like koi
Winter drawing near.
Nicole Thomas
Grades 7-12
It's made of cow hooves
Or at least that's what I've heard
Oh well, it's still good.
Alisa Bennion
Grades K-6
I love Jell-O now
It's yummy in my tummy
Jell-O is muy bien
Guillermo Vazquez
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Third-place winners
Adult
Can't you see it shake?
No earthquake hit here today
Jell-O should relax.
Jim Garman
Grades 7-12
Stapler, stuck inside
Yellow, jiggly, Jell-O mold
Pam laughs, Jim denies.
Christen Lane
Grades K-6
Bouncing in my mouth
Changing shape each time I bite
Covered in whipped cream.
Amanda Harmon
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Honorable mentions
Adult
Jell-O makes me smile
They sure love it in Provo
Which explains some things.
James Henshaw
Green beans, yuck. Peas, yuck.
Asparagus, double yuck.
But green Jell-O, YUM!
Lauri Ballatore
I remember once
having tuna in Jell-O
at some fancy place.
Shellie Drage
Wasn't born Mormon
Didn't grow up with Jell-O
It was called aspic.
Babs De Lay
Give me liberty
And or maybe even death
Limey Jell-O breath.
Jeffrey Norris
It's made in a lab —
Artificial everything.
Chemical triumph
J.C. Smith
Sweet jiggly jell
Little buttocks in a bowl
Worthless but yummy.
Debbie Karl
A frivolous food
What misfit invented you
from fruit juice and bones?
Debbie Karl
Grades 7-12
The cool green Jell-O,
Quaking on a silver plate,
Hunger of my soul.
Thomas Appiah
Jell-O is so great.
I like it green with carrots
Since this is Utah.
Jeremy Gibbs
Oh hello, Jell-O
Behind fragrant old ladies
At Chuck-A-Rama.
Casey Lowe
Green, nuclear waste.
From powder, transformed to gel.
Jell-O "food" from Hell.
Steven and Tommy Jacobsen
Jell-O has the force
Bouncy and green like Yoda
Don't join the dark side.
Hunter Curtis
Grades K-6
Slippery slimy
Splendidly juicy crimson
a strawberry scent.
Lynden Otteson
Coldness of heaven
Yummy in my tummy, slurp
A song to forsee.
Sam Gray
The yellow Jell-O
Sat in the warming bright sun
To chill for the day.
Kilea Blake
Green, slimy lumpy
Molded in a funny shape
Vegetables galore.
Miranda Cates
Flexible spoonfuls
Glassy sticky shiny cold
Fun to eat and slurp
Hannah Beckstrand
Send comments to kathys@sltrib.com. —
Don't try this at home
Today's photo illustration was made with 25 cups of multi-colored Jell-O, dozens of photo frames, and a bit of Photoshop editing.
We started with five pans of Jell-O. They were made in 8-by-8 pans using half the water called for so they would be super sturdy. After the Jell-O had set, the pans were placed in a bit warm water, to loosen the bottom. We flipped the Jell-O onto a flat cookie sheet, which had been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, and then slid the slabs onto a white board, stacking one color on top of the other.
Not everything worked perfectly. The yellow Jell-O cracked; the red Jell-O on bottom started to collapse from the weight; and every time we tried to place the second red layer on the top of our Utah creation, the whole stack leaned precariously to the left.
Of course, through the magic of a computer graphics program, we manipulated the images so that the mandarin oranges float perfectly, the red Jell-O looks sturdy and upright and our creation sits in a perfect pool of melting Jell-O.
Reporter Kathy Stephenson and photographer Francisco Kjolseth