writer, editor, teacher
Day 8 at Ice Cream Social in Tacoma with my pal Amy. Amy had mango coconut and I had Fresh Mint. I also sampled a Roasted Banana and a Lavender, both worth the trip.
Fresh Mint won my heart because it instantly evoked the smell and taste of the mint in my grandfather’s yard. It was perfectly ice creamy and slightly savory.
Mom sent me an article about ice cream filled donuts and I briefly considered skipping the mortgage for a ticket to LA.
Instead, I stick with the plan and try Homemade Watermelon Sorbet, which was booed by more than one friend following my progress. I booed, too, after tasting it. This was not a good experiment, it came out too mushy.
Day 6: Mexican Street Corn at Nue. I asked twice and then I finally said in my best PA accent, “Are you saying ‘STREET? CORN?’”
So you get the full picture, know that I am at a chichi fusion theme restaurant in the bottom of Gentrification Condos, the staff were puzzled that I’m dining solo, the waiter looks like the guy who played the Ice Truck Killer in Dexter, and I am wearing a tee shirt with a picture of pizza on it.
But also: the meal was extraordinarily tasty, the Ice Truck Killer is a great waiter, and this ice cream is the most interesting thing I’ve put in my mouth since Mooseballs™.
Day 5: Hot Cakes on Capitol Hill. Vanilla scoop with peanut butter fudge crumbles on top (and a peanut butter cup chocolate lava cake). I want to go back to try their chocolate shell.
Sidenote: Hot Cakes carries coffee from one of my favorite roasters, Blue Star Coffee Roasters in Twisp!
Day 4: Cupcake Royale, which has ice cream in the summer! We stopped into the Capitol Hill location.
Tom had Triple Vanilla and I had Pride Sorbet. The sorbet was berry tangy (delicious). The vanilla was good, too. I sampled two other flavors while we were there:
Day 3: Bluebird Ice Cream in Fremont. Snickerdoodle on top, Theo Chocolate Chunk on bottom. The snickerdoodle tastes like what you’d imagine if you were eating a perfectly soft cookie and thought, “this would be good as ice cream.”
Comments today included recommendations for Frankie & Jo’s, Nutty Squirrel, and an invitation from my friend Amy to go meet up at Ice Cream Social in Tacoma. My mom apparently has an all-or-nothing rating system. Her comments are either “I want that” or “I do not want that.”
Full Tilt Ice Cream in the University District, with my husband, Tom.
Full Tilt has a wonderful origin story. They create fun neighborhood spaces and serve of masterfully unusual flavors. The U-District location is a tiny funky spot with seating for one person. I’ll have to visit one of the bigger spots to get the total experience. But we sampled a few flavors and strolled around The Ave with our Marshmallow Lemon (me) and Salted Caramel (Tom).
After I posted, I got another recommendation (“try Fainting Goat!”) and both my mom and step-mom chimed in with wanting ice cream. You’re welcome, Ice Cream Lobby.
Day 1: Vashon Island with Anne and her kids. I went to visit with them during the camp “open house.” Throughout the day, several people recommended we get “Vashon Ice Cream.” What they meant, apparently, was the Glass Bottle Creamery. I didn’t sample, just got some tasty vanilla.
I wish I could tell you this was all intentional, the shirt, the necklace, the precious kids. It’s not. Ice cream is one of my favorite foods, so I made the shirt just because. And the necklace is my homage to Wonder Woman.
When I posted “National Ice Cream Month, Day 1: Bring it.” on Facebook, my friends brought it! Right away, I received recommendations for places to try and even other people’s photos of their ice cream outings.
Looking forward to trying more flavors this month!
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I grew up hearing the hagiography of St. Maria Goretti. My paternal grandmother referred to the saint as “my aunt.” I have yet to verify this. I do know that Maria Goretti’s brother Angelo served as best man to my great-grandparents’ wedding, and as godfather when my grandmother was baptised. In any case, the story of this virgin martyr is one I’ve heard, and contemplated, my whole life. This is the scholarly paper I wrote, and I continue my research now in both quasi-theology and ancestry.
