My quest for ice cream is bringing up some conversations
about different franchises and stands where we used to get ice cream when we
were kids.
When I lived in Southern New Hampshire, our favorite places
to go were always Hayward Farms and Blakes.
We'd throw in HoJo's (Howard Johnson's, for the uninitiated) every once
in a while, the only place where I would eat peppermint stick ice cream.
Around here in NE Massachusetts, we've had ice cream places
come and go. There was Sid Whites by the
duck pond (not to by confused with White Farms in Ipswich) and we had a
Friendly's until it closed unceremoniously. Richardson's is one place I've never had ice
cream because the cow poop smell from the on-site cows makes it impossible to
eat chocolate anything without believing it smells, tastes, and has the
consistency of cow dung. There was the
Rose Glen Dairy (post-Sid White), and a couple of shops that have tried
desperately to stay open by charging an arm and a leg for a simple ice cream. Sarkisian Farms sells ice cream but it's
actually a driving range that used to be a vegetable and plant stand.
There are the old stand-bys, like Treadwells (though it has
moved) and Dairy Queen and Mad Maggies and Benson's and Mac's and Dairy Maid
(where they serve the largest "small" ice cream I have ever
encountered). And if you're really
desperate, McDonald's serves up a quick soft-serve and Wendy's has a variety of
ice cream concoctions, though I haven't set foot in a fast food restaurant in
over a year, maybe longer, so I could be lying.
And now frozen yogurt is everywhere.
I have become partial to Orange Leaf and am more and more hesitant to
try the imitators. Their pomegranate,
wedding cake, and brownie batter are easily to-die-for flavors.
I suppose it's only fair to blame all of these places on my eclectic ice cream palate. I've gone
through several "Favorite Phases."
For a while, I loved vanilla, then chocolate, then chocolate chip,
peppermint stick, and now my current favorite -- chocolate chip cookie dough.
That being said, I'll add to yesterday's blog and simply say
that I need to replace the carton of mint chocolate chip I bought "for my
son" last week. It has gone from a
full container to one that holds a few spoonfuls. You cannot truly blame me as it has been
ridiculously hot this past week, and the ice cream stares at me every time I
open the freezer to get ice. This time,
though, I will buy myself some ice cream, too.
I'd take all the blame, but the ice cream case at the
supermarket shut down last week during the hot spell, and they lost thousands
of dollars worth of the frozen desserts. The only case left intact contained Ben &
Jerry's and Brigham's and Edy's. So, you
see, I was just helping the store out by buying ice cream; it's one less carton
they have to worry about.
That's the "scoop."
