Friday, March 29, 2024
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Ice Cream: Our Bipartisan Unifier

I sense that some people in our great country are not happy these days. One party of folks are unhappy they didn’t get what they wanted. Another is unhappy that the ones who didn’t get what they wanted actually wanted it in the first place. Then there’s the sadness and pain surrounding the ever-present COVID-19. 

And in lighter fare, but still upsetting, Cleveland’s historic NFL playoff run ended last week, Buffalo’s ended this week and Philadelphia fans are in a constant state of “what-if” angst. All while that love-him-or-hate-him Michigan grad is still proverbially thumbing his nose at us even at his “advanced age.” 

Not to mention, many of us have taken down our holiday decorations and our homes have gone back to their normal nice-but-not-festive appearances. Especially the outside decorations, which always make me feel more cheerful as I drive around town during these long winter nights (Note to self: It’s less than two months before the amount of daily sunshine we get equals the amount of darkness. You can make it!). Heck, I’ve even considered doing what many vacation destinations do and use white mini-bulbs to outline the front of our house, the bushes and trees just to make it appear more joyful. 

At a time when the country seems split apart and the virus mounts every day, we need something to think and talk about that we can all agree we like – or at least, many of us can agree we like. I have just the topic.

Ice cream.

According to the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), the average American eats more than 23 pounds of ice cream each year – almost two pounds a month. The president and CEO of the IDFA – which is based, like most industry associations, in Washington, D.C. — even says, “In a town like Washington, ice cream is about as bipartisan as you can get.” 

Ice cream is also big money, an $11 billion industry that supports 26,000 direct jobs. Most U.S. ice cream manufacturers have been in business for more than 50 years, and as we know locally, many are still family-owned businesses. Even politically, I think we can all agree that President Ronald Reagan designating a National Ice Cream Month (OK, it’s July) and a National Ice Cream Day were good things. 

About the only downside to the ice cream industry, according to the IDFA, is that ice cream makers and retailers say the Great Lakes region (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin) is the most successful ice cream market. Which we know is just plain wrong. Happy Valley is the epicenter of the ice cream universe in our country.

But let’s get down to the nitty-gritty and talk about what we REALLY like about ice cream – what’s our favorite flavor? 

According to the IDFA’s sales and trends, America’s top 10 favorite ice cream flavors are:

  1. Vanilla
  2. Chocolate
  3. Cookies N’ Cream
  4. Mint Chocolate Chip
  5. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
  6. Buttered Pecan
  7. Cookie Dough
  8. Strawberry
  9. Moose Tracks
  10. Neapolitan

My feeling is the only reason vanilla is No. 1 on that list is because it serves as the proverbial blank canvas for the millions of nuts, sprinkles and, especially, syrup that are sold each year. Of course vanilla has taste, thanks to the development of artificial vanilla flavor, but it’s telling that when we want to describe the simplest, most basic and ordinary version of anything we refer to it as “plain vanilla.” We all know that chocolate is the real No. 1 ice cream flavor. 

With that in mind here are my five favorite ice cream flavors. If you see me around town walking out of a store with a bag of ice cream, these are the containers that will be in those bags. These are my go-to flavors that I’ll take home, put in the freezer, and enjoy later while relaxing. They are presented in no particular order of preference as each offers its own benefits.

Meyer Dairy Chocolate Chip. The Meyer family started their local farm in 1887 and package an assortment of ice cream flavors for you to take home. Their chocolate chip ice cream is the perfect marriage of a great vanilla base with my favorite of all ice cream additions, chocolate chips. Simple and fulfilling.

Trader Joe’s Ultra Chocolate. If chocolate is the best flavor of ice cream, then you need to find the best chocolate ice cream — and I’ve tried many over the years. After Trader Joe’s opened locally I tried this and it’s the best I’ve found. I now feel sorry for those who don’t have easy access to a Trader Joe’s. 

Häagen-Dazs Chocolate Chocolate Chip. Since chocolate is the real No. 1 1 ice cream flavor, and chocolate chips are the best of all ice cream additions, then it makes sense that a wonderful way to make a simple and fulfilling chocolate chip ice cream more interesting is to make it using chocolate ice cream rather than vanilla. I’m glad someone thought of it.

Berkey Creamery Death By Chocolate. Established in 1865, the Creamery has been making ice cream for over 150 years. We all know the history and this ice cream takes a chocolate base and adds chocolate flakes, fudge pieces and chocolate swirl. Although the name is playfully morbid, it expands on the chocolate chocolate chip theme in an excellent way.

Ben and Jerry’s New York Super Fudge Chunk. The ultimate expression of chocolate for when you want to go over the top. Chocolate ice cream with white fudge chunks, dark fudge chunks, pecans, walnuts and fudge-covered almonds. I always rationalize that the nuts are a good source of protein and balances out all the sugar I’m consuming. Ever since we toured the Ben and Jerry’s factory in Vermont and learned that employees get to take home three pints free after each shift, I’ve wondered why more businesses don’t adopt that policy.

Speaking of rationalizing… There is one frozen dessert that is also a favorite of mine and will end up in my grocery bag when I can find it: Stonyfield Organic Vanilla Fudge Swirl. It’s frozen yogurt rather than ice cream and I’ll rationalize that somehow makes it healthier even though I know it still contains sugar-bomb levels of the white stuff.

Finally, I can’t discuss my favorite flavors of ice cream without mentioning two that have gone to that great ice cream graveyard in the sky. They would be Ben and Jerry’s Bovinity Divinity and Frusen Glädjé Chocolate Chocolate Chip. The former was made for three short years from 1998 to 2001 and consisted of milk chocolate ice cream and white fudge cows swirled with white chocolate ice cream and dark fudge cows. The latter took the previously mentioned chocolate ice cream with chocolate chips idea to a never-before and never-again seen level with the thickest, darkest chocolate ice cream you can imagine. 

So if you find yourself unhappy these days, you could spend some stimulus money on one of the ice cream flavors above, place a few scoops in a bowl, sit back, relax, smile and enjoy one thing that makes many of us happy.