Just about missed Nat'l Ice Cream Month!

“Ice Cream”

    Did you know that July is National Ice Cream Month? I just found out about it last week. Had I known sooner I could’ve done more to honor the frozen treat named after a man with a musical truck.

    At this late date, I figured the least I could do is research something about ice cream. I hate research. It takes too much time. My Blue Bell Blackberry Cobbler will melt by the time I finish this. It’ll still be good, but sheesh. So, let’s make this fast.

    By the way, I pulled all my ice cream facts from the Internet. I tell you that, to tell you this: There’s a good chance none of ‘em would hold up in court.

The first “fact” is that America and New Zealand take turns leading the world in per capita consumption of ice cream. I can understand the U.S. But, New Zealand? Fourteen universities have received grants to study that phenomenon. None have come up with a good answer.

 Each American was supposed to have eaten 12 gallons of ice cream last year. I didn’t come close.  Don’t get me wrong, I really like ice cream, but it makes me sweat. Something makes me sweat. Lone Star College is trying to get a grant to study me.

Kay doesn’t eat enough ice cream, either. Together we may eat ten gallons. I usually eat my five in early June. That means that someone out there is eating what Kay and I don’t. That person is consuming 26 gallons a year. Should be easy to find.

The State that produces the most ice cream is California. Their favorite flavor is Avocado. I didn’t look that up, because it seemed obvious. Texas is the second largest producer. If you take Blue Bell out of the equation we rank 42nd, just behind Delaware. Again, I didn’t have to look that one up.

The first ice cream cone was invented at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis. Another source came up with the 1896 World’s Fair in Berlin, but that can’t be because Judy Garland never sang “Meet me in Berlin, Louie.” 

The day of the week that most ice cream is sold is Sunday. Speaking of Sunday, the first ice cream sundae was made in Two Rivers, Wisconsin in 1871. At least that’s what the town claims.

Two Rivers didn’t know the name of what it invented until 1890, when the city fathers of Evanston, Illinois, banned the sale of ice cream sodas on Sunday. It was a loose translation of Deuteronomy 24:20.

To get around the blue law, a confectioner put some ice cream in a dish, threw in some syrup and left out the soda. Instead of calling it a “Soda-less Soda,” he called it a “Sundae Soda.” I assume he misspelled “Sunday” for religious reasons.

People’s favorite ice cream flavors, in order of most ordered: Vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, banana, coconut, butter pecan, mint chocolate chip, coffee, honey and green tea. I read that, but I don’t believe it. Might be true in New Zealand but not here.

By the by, Ronald Reagan is the one who instituted National Ice Cream month back in 1984. I doubt it was his idea, ‘cause he was into jellybeans. Oh, and ice cream was invented by the Chinese. Big surprise. They also invented ice, fire and sponge darts.

That’s all entirely too interesting. Before I leave you with your ice cream flavor thoughts, let me say that ice cream has been known to stop migraines. Not mine, but maybe yours. Mine hate the cold, but some people’s migraines love it. Give it a try.

So, let’s all show our pride and grab some Blue Bell Blackberry Cobbler. Anything but green tea. – Green tea? Hey, I researched it.

END


To find Brad and Mark’s latest restaurant review click on pic.