No wonder so many Utah families love Jell-O, giving it a place on the Thanksgiving table or whenever the clan gathers.
They also don't miss a chance to praise - or joke about - this artificially flavored food that is often just the glue that holds together canned fruit, chopped nuts and/or diced vegetables.
All that explains why The Tribune received more than 150 entries and more than 35 family recipes in its inaugural Jell-O haiku contest.
The three-line poems came from all over the state and from all types of readers, from retirees to real-estate agents.
Some haikus were heartfelt. Others were silly. A few were irreverent.
We even had enough entries from Utah classrooms that we created a special student division.
"I moved to Utah about 10 years ago. It is a great place and I love so many aspects about it, including the Jell-O," said Greg Clark, a University of Utah associate professor, whose amusing haiku was awarded first place by The Tribune's judging team.
Second place went to Karla Nye, a retired teacher from Sandy who used to teach her second-grade students the art of the haiku. She doesn't make Jell-O. "But my mother and grandmother did."
"Thanks for providing us all with the opportunity to share a good laugh and some insights on one of the major food groups in Utah," wrote Virginia Barron, the third-place winner.
Here are those winning poems and a few honorable mentions that - like fruit in unchilled gelatin - rose to the top of the haiku heap.
Inaugural Salt Lake Tribune
Jell-O Haiku contest winners:
(adult category)
First:
Cool, silky Jell-O.
Smoothly I swallow what was
Hairy horses' hooves.
- Gregory A. Clark
Second:
Wiggle. Jiggle. Plop.
Carrots in, mayo on top.
This can't be salad.
- Karla Nye
Third:
I signed a waiver
the day I crossed the state line:
No Jell-O - just wine.
- Virginia Barron
(student category)
First:
Jell-O is wobbly
Sliding on the now slimed plate
Dodging hungry spoons.
- Garrett
Sixth grade,
Upland Terrace Elementary
Second:
Jell-O is nasty
Made from one of my worst dreams
I never eat it.
- Daniel Eyre
Granite High School
Third:
Jiggly Jell-O slides
Down my throat like worms on grease
And tastes good to me!
- Emily Leonard
Granite High School
Salt Lake Tribune
Jell-O Haiku contest
honorable mentions:
My tongue doesn't know
What to do with gelatin
Bite? Slurp? Down it goes
- Babs De Lay
Green as Utah Lake
Peach halves from Cache Valley trees
Oh, Beehive dessert!
- Sam Beeson
Red ripe strawberries
Jiggle like Dolly Parton:
R-rated salad.
- Linda Brimmer
Luscious lumps of lime
Like precious gems in wartime,
I swallow them down.
- John Garner
Grandkids come to call
They love it and eat it all
Make again next week
- Toni Cook
Shaved carrots hold hands
With mandarins and raisins.
Sweet orange entree.
- Sam Beeson
Smith's, the dessert aisle.
So many Jell-O flavors.
Guess I'll just get green.
- Aharon D. Shulimson
We had Jell-O hot
Drank it from a paper cup
Grandma made it lots
- Liz Pace
Carrots, pineapple
Add anything to Jell-O,
Except cat litter.
- Kaye Nelson
A big Jell-O ball
Always bouncing up and down
Is it food or fun?
- Jill McLaughlin
Fingerprints jiggle
On top of yellow Jell-O
Is it ready yet?!
- Melissa Kirry
Fluffy lime sublime
Tasty crunch and tangy fine.
Happy tongue today!
- Kristeen Polhamus
A carrot shredded
Cottage cheese layered in green
Kirby strikes again
- Les Syphus
Green Jell-O, yellow
Pineapple crushed so fine,
Cottage cheese to please.
- Mardell Fayer
Make it red and white
With some delicious fruits but
Not green with carrots!
- Linda Brimmer
What a clever shape
Wiggling there on your plate.
Fellow . . . it's Jell-O!
- Toni Lehtinen
Three-layer Jell-O
Cream cheese middle always slides
Best part anyway.
- Lynn Sasaki
Jell-O - whipped cream, fine.
Consomme, vegetables, mine.
Aspic I will dine.
- Linda S. Eyring
Essential side dish
Belov'd carrot shreds adorn
Pass the Jell-O
- Holly Hendrickson
Salt Lake Tribune Jell-O Haiku Contest Winners:
Strawberry Jell-O
Slipp'ry, slimy, sticky stuff.
Jiggly jelly, oh!
- Melissa Lammle
St. Sophia School
My green, green Jell-O
Made special from my Grandma
Utah's favorite food.
- Mitch
Upland Terrace Elementary
Jell-O is bubbly
Watermelon is the best.
It's squishy like bugs.
- Crystal Keiki
Granite High School
Taste really yummy
It wobbles in my tummy
Never gets crummy.
- Rachel L.
Upland Terrace Elementary
