Before July comes to an end, I wanted to make light of the fact that this was National Ice Cream Month. Once again I have no idea who decreed his holiday into existence, but I’m glad they did. I particularly like ice cream, and no month is better to celebrate it; in June you’re still trying to recover from the trauma that is winter, in August everything that isn’t 110 degrees is melting.
Now, you put enough cream and sugar into anything and I’ll like it, but ice cream is different. Ice cream is one of the oldest deserts, with descendents recorded around 400 BC. Nowadays, it’s an American tradition, and a food which has spread around the world. In fact, it’s the only food I can find that has its own website to make sure that, no matter the brand, you’re getting some cold, delicious treats.
You know, ice cream gets a bad rap. Calorie counters hate it for its sugary base while the lactose intolerant lament their inability to stomach the sweet milkfat, but ice cream has evolved for even them into healthier and dairy-free varieties. I’ll admit even I, on a health binge, abstained from ice cream for an entire year (except on my birthday of course) and 14 months later it was strange to remember what it tasted like. My mother cheats by freezing whipped cream, but a good, genuine ice cream is irreplaceable.
In 2006, Americans consumed 4.3 billion gallons of ice cream — or over 14 pounds of the stuff per person. Americans have some of the highest per capita numbers in the world. You’ve got to admit, that’s pretty impressive.
For the sake of the month, give yourself a break ad have a scoop. Why not even have two?
Another Food Critic 