My Family's Freakish Fad

Fads.

When I was a kid in the 70's, everyone wanted a pet rock.



As a teenager in the 80's, I was aware, at least at one point, that you couldn't spit without hitting a person trying to solve a Rubik's Cube. (I actually learned to do it... but I did it the easy way. I bought the solution book and memorized it)




After that, I remember people practically injuring themselves getting Cabbage Patch Kids. Ugly little things. But strangely appealing. I was a parent by this time. Yes we did get one.



Several years back, Tamagotchis became very popular. My sixteen-year-old had one back then. When it "died", it was a HUGE problem in our household. Tamagotchis have returned, and my two eight-year-olds have them, but they have improved. If they "die", you can start over again easily, and in fact you can even bring the old one back to life if you do it correctly. So we still have Tamagotchi tragedies, but they are not *quite* as tragic.




So, all this was just a run-up on the topic of fads. Because now, my family has its own fad. Just our family, as far as I can see. Nobody else seems to be getting into this. But we are. Big time.

My family's freakish fad is...

Hot Jello.



Yes, I can hear you now, saying, "Huh?"

"Hot Jello?"

Yup.

Everybody but me, actually.

I'm pretty sure it originated with my wife and my daughter. The guiders and campers in the family. Apparently Jello powder is good to keep in a survival kit, because it's a quick way to get sugar and protein, but I've never been stranded in the woods in the wintertime, so I've yet to be able to actually give it a proper field test.

And it's certainly easy to prepare. Heat some water, then mix in a cup with some Jello powder until it tastes good.

So anyhow, they decided to start drinking it at home. And all the kids joined in, like rats following the Pied Piper out of Hamelin.

Now, I get strange looks walking through the grocery story with my arms full of these little multi-coloured boxes.

(For the record, the favourites among the adult and teens are cherry, watermelon, and lemon. The younger contingent prefers orange.)

Try it yourself.

So I won't feel like I'm the only outsider in the Bizarro family.