I got curious about gelatin and found good information on Snopes:
http://www.snopes.com/food/ingredient/jello.asp


Interesting that the U.S. federal government doesn't consider a product
made from animal bones and hides to be an animal product. It says that
permissive vegetarians have no problem including JELL-O in their diets.
I suppose individuals are allowed to call themselves whatever they
want and eat whatever they want, but it would seem to me that a
vegetarian, even a permissive vegetarian, who has no trouble including
JELL-O in their diet is like saying that you can be a vegetarian and eat
steak. It makes no sense to me.


Vegetarians who like JELL-O would be less oxymoronic if they used agar
agar in fruit juice instead.


At the Culinary Institute many years ago, we learned about using gelatin
in desserts and in savory dishes as aspic. I never liked the texture
which seems slimy to me. It is easy to use however.


--Lia