Around the Bluhmin’ Town

By

Judy Bluhm

Ice Cream. A scoop of deliciousness topped with sprinkles of love. Made to delight. Universally enjoyed, a main stay of summer, and the single most coveted treat in America. Maybe folks do not agree on much these days, except our devotion to the heavenly confection that makes the world a slightly better place.

Ice Cream was first made in China around the 13thcentury. Marco Polo introduced it to the world on his travels. In 1790 the first ice cream parlor was opened in America in New York City, and the rest is history. The first ice cream cone was patented by an Italian immigrant in 1903 and then popularized at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis. And let’s take a bow to Harry Burt, a brilliant guy from Ohio, who launched the first ice cream truck fleet in the 1920s, equipped with bells to get the kids to come running.

Ice cream became a “summer staple” and brought “comfort” in difficult times. During Prohibition in the 1920s, ice cream parlors replaced bars and saloons. In World War II, the US Navy converted a barge into a floating ice cream factory that could produce ten gallons every minute. Ice cream has been known as the one “common denominator” that unifies our taste buds, since 97 percent of humans claim to love the stuff.

Ice cream can evoke strong feelings of nostalgia, primarily linked to childhood. We remember the kids chasing the ice cream truck, the vacations we took where ice cream was a daily treat. Maybe we recall the little dixie cups that we got from the school cafeteria, or the first time we tried to make ice cream at home. We know our family member’s favorite flavors and laugh at the messiness of baby’s first ice cream cone.

How much do we like our ice cream? Evidently, Americans consume approximately 23 pounds of ice cream annually. Per person. Which translates to about three bowls of ice cream a week! Half of all ice cream sales occur during the summer months, and the most common flavors are vanilla, followed by chocolate and strawberry. The good folk of New Zealand are the biggest ice cream consumers worldwide. Each Kiwi devours a whopping 51 pounds of ice cream per year!

Last year, the day before my husband died, it was my birthday. We went out for ice cream to celebrate. We had not indulged in a bowl of frozen yumminess all year, so it seemed perfect. Doug was a French vanilla sort of guy. His favorite. I would sometimes tease him that he was in an “ice cream rut,” but he always held loyal to his choice of vanilla. Imagine my shock when he ordered Cookies and Cream. I recall laughing and asking him, “Who are you?” He chuckled, winked and said, “Same old me. I thought I would change things up, after all, life is short.”

In 1984, President Reagan declared July as “National Ice Cream Month.” Well, it’s August, but it is not too late. Get your ice cream. Enjoy. Because life is short and best lived one delicious scoop at a time.

Judy Bluhm is a writer and a local realtor. Contact Judy at [email protected] or visit www.aroundthebluhmintown.com