Please Say "Use Your Leftovers In A JELL-O Salad Week" Has Ceased To Exist

Jen Carlson

Published Jun 18, 2011

Modified Jun 18, 2011

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Jen Carlson

Published Jun 18, 2011

Modified Jun 18, 2011

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There are a lot of food and drink "holidays" we can get behind, National Drink Wine Day and National Lobster Roll Day to name two. Wine and lobster are worth celebrating, even if it's in the name of a marketing gimmick. But when called upon to celebrate people putting leftover peas in a gelatinous mold, we must protest! Sure, gelatin (the main ingredient in JELL-O) is made of animal products (boiled bones, connective tissues, and intestines of animals, to be exact), so why not pair it with some veggies? That's not a real question, so put down the JELL-O mold.

Hopefully National Use-Up-Your-Leftovers-In-A-Jell-O Salad Week is no longer celebrated by anyone, but back in the day it did exist. The ad read: "Bet you have a dish of leftover peas or beans or carrots in the refrigerator right now. Why not use them beautifully tonight in a tempting JELL-O salad?" (Just don't use fresh pineapple, papaya, kiwi, or ginger root because they contain enzymes that prevent the gelatin from setting—nature is trying to tell us something!) Then they suggest you add vinegar, salt, onion, and other things that have no business being in JELL-O, to their lemon or lime flavor (this was probably before they invented the celery flavor).

Can we just put an end to the national nightmare that is JELL-O?