Jello: Thinking and writing

Michelle, at The Culture of Chemistry, is teaching a science writing course and has invited readers to play along at home.  Sounds like fun!

First assignment--Write for 5 minutes on the topic of Jello

Jello

Jello is among the most repulsive food substances known to humanity.  As Jello is allowed to be ingested on the day before a colonoscopy, it cannot quite qualify as food.  Jello is often made even more repulsive by the addition of chopped up bits of fruit, thereby combining its unpalatable, slimy texture with actual foods of differing textures.  As any picky eater knows, these combinations are unacceptable; more unacceptable than other food sins like foods touching each other on a plate.

Jello is not without utility.  Because of its common use in public school cafeterias, most chemistry students are familiar with it and its tendency to jiggle.  The image of Jello jiggling is useful when explaining why atoms and molecules with large numbers of electrons tend to have stronger induced-dipole attractions than those with fewer electrons.

Reflection:

• I managed to stay on the computer for 5 minutes and not check Facebook
• I cheated a bit because I read the post yesterday but didn't actually write until today.  But, the two ideas expressed above are my true first thoughts about Jello.  (Geek evidence apparent)
• I spend too much time thinking about the precise, correct, bestest word to use instead of just getting ideas down.
• Having a time limit really helped me focus on the writing and less on everything else going on in my head.  My head is never a lonely place.