Parades and ice cream

By B.J. Drye, Managing Editor

Sunday, July 13, 2008 July 14, 2008 09:11 am

— A parade, whether it be big or small, can be enjoyable. We displayed both the big and small side of parades in last Sunday’s Stanly News & Press. Oakboro’s parade, which was described as one of the longest in recent years, was a vast contrast to the Forrest Hills Independence Day Parade also held that morning.
While the Oakboro parade contained large fire trucks and candidates for every possible political office (although we didn’t see McCain or Obama), the small parade did not have anyone campaigning for office; it only had children showing their patriotism and American spirit. When it was over, however, they did do some rallying for some ice cream, which just happened to be waiting past the finish line of the parade.
I didn’t sample any of that ice cream, but I did go home and make some homemade ice cream — homemade in the since that I opened the freezer, sat the ice cream down on the cabinet, opened it up and scooped up a nice helping in a bowl of my choosing.
I’ve been doing a little experimenting with ice cream flavors this summer.
Anyone who knows me knows that I’m not what you’d consider normal when it comes to eating.
While I do like vanilla and chocolate, I usually have to kick it up a notch, such as adding some caramel to either flavor or making a vanilla-chocolate swirl.
Over the last year, I’ve become quite partial to butter pecan, which according to a recent survey of top ice cream flavors is the third favorite flavor, behind vanilla and chocolate.
A few weeks ago, I noticed a new flavor of Ben & Jerry’s called Willie Nelson’s Country Peach Cobbler. Since I’m a big fan of Willie and enjoy a little peach cobbler, I had to try it. The peach swirl ice cream really did taste like peach cobbler, especially considering the shortbread cookie pieces seemed just like a crust.
I also tried a flavor I’ve never tasted before: pistachio. At first, it seemed kind of bland, but at the same time it was a strong taste. I didn’t care for it as much as I did the peach cobbler or the John Lennon’s Imagine Whirled Peace, a caramel and sweet cream ice cream that contains toffee pieces.
I’ve also grown quite fond of gelato, which is a rich Italian ice cream. The kind available at the grocery store is very chocolatey, almost like a frozen pudding.
With all the new kinds of ice cream flavors that debut every year, I’m surprised we haven’t seen a broccoli or brussel sprout ice cream.
Maybe then I’d eat my vegetables.

B. J. Drye is managing editor of The Stanly News and Press. Write him at P.O. Box 488, Albemarle, NC 28002. E-mail him at snaponline25@yahoo.com.

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