A Recipe for the Nexus of All Realities
The Marvel Universe, but make it Jello Salad
I was recently a guest on Adam Teterus’ podcast Man-Thing Minute. It’s a show that explores Man-Thing, Marvel’s most misunderstood character, one guest and one comic at a time. Every episode Adam and his guest read a comic together and then discuss in depth what happened and how it connects to our world.
For my episode we read Howard the Duck #22, May the Farce be with You from 1977. Many may not remember, but Howard the Duck was born from Man-Thing’s storyline, first appearing in Adventure into Fear #19. Before becoming Marvel’s most ubiquitous crossover character, Howard the Duck was pure parody. Clearly a ripoff of Donald Duck, Howard served almost like a mirror held up to society. His one-liners were both sharp criticisms of the corporate culture and politics emerging in the 70’s as well as quips that moved the plot of his weird comic series along — a plot that, on the front page editors admit is “a duck tale that spans the galaxy — and still goes nowhere!”
If you want to learn more about the specifics of this comic, go listen to our episode. Overall, the comic is a wild ride, but it’s in this issue where you start to see a relationship forming between Howard the Duck and Man-Thing, and Man-Thing’s capacity for empathy is on full display.
Unlikely relationships like the one between Howard the Duck and Man-Thing intrigue me. So much of my work is about finding the unlikely connections between food, art, culture, history, and our world — and that’s the crux of Adam’s podcast.
I’m not big into “Cape Comics.” I’m more of a transcendental comic strip (see Calvin and Hobbes) and graphic novel gal. But when Adam asked me to take part in Man-Thing Minute, I said yes because I love collaborating with people outside of my industry. I love exchanging ideas, being introduced to things I might not have ever thought to explore and finding the ways in which our worlds are connected. Kind of like Man-Thing — he’s the “Nexus of All Realities.” Before Howard the Duck started popping up randomly in Marvel movies, Man-Thing was jumping into universes and storylines where you didn’t expect to find him.
On the show, Adam asked “if Man-Thing were a recipe, what would he be?” I took a moment to think about what the character is and what he’s all about. For those of you who don’t know, Man-Thing is a swamp monster who emerged from the Florida Everglades. He’s big and strong and menacing, but he’s also incredibly compassionate, feeding off of the energy of those around him.
I said I think he’d be a Jello salad mainly because they’re both non-Newtonian substances. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Just as Man-Thing is the Nexus of All Realities, holding together the universe with his swampy form, so are Jello salads holding together chunks of fruit and vegetables.
I got to researching and found a recipe that fit Man-Thing perfectly: The Seafoam Salad, a mid-century Jello salad popularized by the F.W. Woolworth’s cafeteria menu!
Like many mid-century recipes, the Seafoam Salad is one of those semi-homemade recipes where most of the ingredients are branded products. The corporate worlds of Jell-o and Philadelphia Cream Cheese collide in a dessert that is a true reflection of the Golden Age of Convenience!
I’ve always been skeptical of Jello salads both as a dish and a dessert. But this Seafoam Salad actually tasted pretty good! It was after taking that first bite when I realized that Jello salads had another thing in common with Man-Thing — they’re misunderstood. They’re both strange in appearance, but soft and sweet in nature.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from Man-Thing and this mission to create a Man-Thing Seafoam Salad, it’s that being open to the misunderstood, unlikely plot points that span the galaxy but go nowhere is where creativity can flourish. Anything is possible at the Nexus of All Realities!
Man-Thing Minute Seafoam Salad
Ingredients
3 (1.5 oz) boxes of lime green gelatin
1 (8 oz) box of cream cheese
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1 can of sliced pears
Cherries
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier (optional)
1 tablespoon peach schnapps (optional)
For whipped cream
1.5 cups of heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
a few drops of green food coloring
Directions
Drain 1 cup of juice from the can of sliced pears into a pot (if it’s not one cup, add a little bit of water). Add (optional) Grand Marnier and (optional) peach schnapps to the pot. Heat on the stove on medium until the juice starts to boil.
Turn off heat as soon as it starts to boil. Dissolve jello mix into the juice. Once its dissolved, set aside to cool for about 3 minutes.
With a standing mixer or hand mixer, beat cream cheese and heavy whipping cream in a medium bowl until smooth. Once is smooth, slowly mix in jello mixture. Once it’s mixed together, set bowl aside.
In a separate small bowl mash up the can of pears with a fork or potato masher.
To make the whipped cream add whipping cream, powdered sugar, green food coloring and vanilla extra to a separate large-sized bowl. With a standing mixer or hand mixer, whip mixture together on high until whipped cream makes soft peaks.
Fold creamy jello mixture and mashed pears into the whipped cream until evenly distributed.
To set the jello, place bowl in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or until jello is firm. If you’re using a jello mold, pour mixture into the mold and place in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or until jello is firm.
When jello is set, serve with whipped cream and cherries.
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