This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Washington - Sen. Mike Lee's Jell-O Wednesdays got a nice bit of buzz recently when The Washington Post featured it in a list of unbelievable-but-true facts about politics.Lee's office has been offering a small cup of Utah's official dessert every Wednesday the Senate is in session to visitors from Utah, Senate pages, staffers and others. Lee often holds court with the Jell-O aficionados and gets a picture with the visitors.Kraft Foods, which makes the treat, is excited about the senator's snack day."JELL-O has been the official state snack of Utah since the Olympic Games in 2002, so we're thrilled to know that Sen. Lee is such a fan and is sharing delicious JELL-O fun with his colleagues and constituents every Wednesday," said Kraft spokeswoman Lynne Galia. If there's one complaint about the Jell-O day, though, it's the lack of shredded carrots, which are often found in gelatin made by Utah families. Lee, though, makes no apologies."I don't allow carrots of any other vegetable products to be inserted into the Jell-O," Lee says. "That goes against the Jell-O anti-adulteration principle. Jell-O needs to be Jell-O. You just let Jell-O be what it is and don't turn it into something else."— Thomas BurrTwitter.com/thomaswburr