When I travel I like my itineraries to be based on where and when we will eat food.  So when I go anywhere - whether out of the country or in the US - I try to avoid eating at national chains. It is like a waste of a meal for me. I know for certain that whatever I get at a chain restaurant is still a meal but I’d rather gamble to try something new and local even if it’s not a sure thing. I’m far from being Anthony Bourdain from the Food Network but I like to think that I’m a step above the average tourist when I choose what to eat. I consider myself a Foodie.

My daughter has the palate of a true foodie.  She watches all the cooking shows (she DVRs them and binge watches) and she is all about how the food is presented.  Food Presentation is not a trait that she inherited from me. I’m pretty sure that was passed down from her paternal grandmother. My son, on the other hand, is opposite a foodie. He has a limited repertoire of foods that he will eat. The apple does not fall far from the tree, as my hub is the exact same way. Many times I wish that both of my guys would be adventurous when it comes to eating but then I think about how easy my job is to feed them. Plus, knowing me, I’d be as big as a house if the hub liked to eat too. These are the silver linings that I choose to find, folks. 

Usually, going hand in hand with being a Foodie, means trying all types of desserts. This Sunday, July 16th, is National Ice Cream Day. Not to be confused with National Ice Cream MONTH which is the whole month of July.  When I looked up Ice Cream Day (NationalDayCalendar.com) I was happy to learn a few things. 1) That it was a woman who patented the first ice cream maker in 1843. 2) The first ice cream truck was on the streets in 1920. And 3) President Ronald Reagan declared the month of July as National Ice Cream month and the third Sunday of the month is National Ice Cream Day. More tidbits of good info are on the site.  

When I think of ice cream, many things come to mind. Like poetry and Eddie Murphy.  Wait, what?  During Poetry and Punch, my son’s teacher recited, by memory, Ice Cream, by Shel Silverstein in front of the class and I was salivating! Every flavor mentioned is worthy of a big bowl full of it not just one scoop out of eighteen flavors. I can’t eat certain flavors these days due to food allergies, but as far as liking all of them or willingness to try all eighteen flavors, there isn’t one that I would skip. On the other hand, another poet, Jack Prelutsky, wrote Bleezer’s Ice Cream and well, there’s a bunch of flavors I wouldn’t touch. Especially anything with Lima Beans.  Eew! The Eddie Murphy skit below is my thoughtful pinch to you for Ice Cream Day. You're welcome. 

So far, in no particular order, my top 5 favorite ice cream flavors, from the places I’ve been to are: Sebastian Joe’s Nicolette Pot Hole, The Pumphouse’s Sea Salt Caramel, Jaxson’s Ice Cream Parlor’s Peanut Butter Chocolate and Cold Stone’s Mud Pie Mojo. My top 5 fondest childhood memories of eating ice cream are listed in timeline order: 1) Going to a place in Maryland called Friendly’s Ice Cream to enjoy ice cream and a side of french fries.  The sweet and salty combo was the best.  2) My birthday party at Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlor.  “The Zoo”, which consisted of a huge silver bowl of different flavored ice creams with bells and whistles.  Literally, the waiters came out of the kitchen ringing bells and blowing whistles while singing Happy Birthday to me.  3)  I cherish the Summer trips to Foster Freeze in Carson, CA with my cousins. I always ordered a banana split. 4) When I was in high school, I got an A on my final in Home Economics - I made home made Oreo Ice Cream and it was so good. I was very proud of that A because our Home Ec teacher was tough. And 5) there were several nights at USD that my roommate Sharon and I would save up money to buy pints of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.  I always bought the Coffee, Health Bar Crunch. We would sit in front of the TV and finish our pints in one sitting. Aaahhh, those were the days when I just ate ice-cream without worrying about calories, trans-fats, sugar contents and/or if it was organic. 

The traveler in me is dying to try the ice cream sold here at a local restaurant named Coco Loco which is in Flamingo Beach, Costa Rica.  The restaurant is a block away from us so we can just walk over.  My sister-in-law swears by the coconut ice cream and I trust her word because she has great taste.  Not to mention, all the food at Coco Loco is so delicious. I scream, you scream and especially in Costa Rica, we all scream for ice cream!

Pinches,

Barb