One of the draws of learning about what we eat is coming to understand the origin of foodstuff. I had no idea that gelatin came from animal sources. It made me realize how hard it is to adopt a vegan lifestyle. I truly respect people that do because it takes an enormous amount of effort and awareness to know where products come from and even more discipline to not be a consumer.
That said, I am once again blown away at the ingenuity of the human species. It is remarkable the stuff that people eat and how resourcefulness (i.e. using every bit of an animal/plant) has transformed food. The natural world provides us with so many delicious fruits and vegetables, it is interesting that our palates have craved for more and more diverse ways of consuming them.
On a side note, as I read about pectin and gel-formation, I could not help to reference in my brain that scene from Little Women when Meg is distressed and at her worst presentation when her husband comes home:
John: "My dearest girl, what is the matter?"
Meg: "Oh, John, I am so tired and hot and cross and worried! I've been at it till I'm all worn out. Do come and help me or I shall die!"
John: "What worries you dear? Has anything dreadful happened?"
Meg: "Yes,"
John: "Tell me quick, then. Don't cry. I can bear anything better than that. Out with it, love."
Meg: "The...The jelly won't jell and I don't know what to do!"
(text adapted from Little Women by Louisa M. Alcott, 1869.)
It made me laugh. Poor Meg did not know about pectin, sugar, and acid...
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