Episode 28: Ghosts of Jell-O Past

CW: War, Poverty

“Even if you can’t cook, you can make a Jell-O dessert!” Ads promoting Jell-O in the early 1900s gladly declared the gelatin treat to be easy and quick, a delight! But things got weird in the 1950s when the jiggly food started to be introduced with a more savory profile… Join us this episode to talk about the history of gelatin desserts, the flavors, the inclusions, and the all-important Weird Food Culture that surrounded Jell-O!

This website very specifically talks about the boom in kitchen appliances in the 1930s, and there are tons of pictures of the appliances and the ads!

This one more broadly talks about how kitchen appliances changed through the whole of the 20th century.

This article walks you through the ways The Great Depression still shapes the way people in The United States eats today.

This one is just a short list of specifically eight foods that were made common during the Great Depression that people today really love.

This is just a big long list of Great Depression era meals if you’re feeling adventurous and want to try some cooking from the time. Email us or write in the comments if you do so we know how it turned out!

This is a link all about rationing during World War 2 from the National World War 2 museum.

Like the last list of food, this one contains several recipes from WW2, and if you’re feeling inclined, try some of them out and let us know how it goes!

This one will take you to the social history of Jell-O through the ages.

And this one will link you to a video on the subject of Jell-O and how it became the star – for better or worse – of the 1950s.

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