With two
working parents, I learned at a young age to be very self-sufficient. By age
seven I decided I was old enough to make one of my favorite treats – Jello. I
read the instructions: Combine contents of the package with one cup boiling
water, stir until completely dissolved, add one cup cold water, and refrigerate
until set. I could do all those things on my own – except boil water on the
stove. This was no problem in my logical little mind because one cup hot water combined
with one cup cold water was the same as two cups warm water. Warm water I could
get from the tap. I mixed and stirred and carefully placed it in the frig to
set. Later I came back to savor my homemade treat. The bottom of the Jello was
thicker, with a sugary texture but because I had made it myself, it was
luscious! As time went on and I continued to make my own Jello, I really grew
to favor that thick, chewy layer. Later, when I came to understand the concept
of actually dissolving the gelatin, I
learned to make the Jello properly with an even texture throughout. But somehow
I missed that chewy bottom.
Fast forward to the 60’s when
someone came up with the clever, marketable Knox Blox. I bit into my first and
was suddenly in heaven. Here was my thick, chewy layer – all the way through!
Why hadn’t I thought of this? It was
an instant favorite and when I married and had children of my own, I made those
squares of chewy goodness for them as well. I really don’t remember if they liked them or not, but that was
beside the point. Now, fast forward again to the 80’s when a new candy hit the
American market. Gummi worms. Followed closely by Gummi bears. Now I had
previously eaten cinnamon bears. They tasted good, but they had a tendency to
get stuck in my teeth and so were not very fun to eat. But these Gummies – they
were different. Here was that old familiar chewy sweetness (but with nothing
stuck to my teeth). Voila! Here was my fix – in a package. No boiling water. No
waiting for it to set. Just open the bag and enjoy. Now, I am not a big candy
eater (except for good, dark chocolate. But that’s another story). Yet today,
even in my more senior years, if I am feeling down, or stressed, or grumpy, I
sneak into the nearest grocery store and pluck a bag of Gummies from the shelf
and eat them all by myself.
