“Without ice cream there would be darkness and chaos.”
- Don Kardong
In Saint Thomas Aquinas' monumental work, Summa Theologica, he posits five proofs for the existence of God (Unmoved Mover, First Cause, Contingency, Perfection, and the Teleological Argument). All well and good, but I think he missed one, the fact that ice cream is present in the world. Who but a loving, benevolent, all-poweful God could and would bestow us with something so divine?
Like many, my love for the heavenly concoction started in childhood summers and backyard family gatherings. The dads would take turns cranking the old maker, aided by that necessary rock salt until finally, they announced it done. All us kids would drop our baseball bats and our lightning bug jars and come a runnin'. I think I remember hearing an angel chorus when they opened the silver cylinder and the sublime contents were revealed - glorious, rich vanilla ice cream.
Since then, I haven't gone long without it. I have my favorites, as I know you do: Good Vanilla anytime, Peanut Butter and Chocolate (Baskin-Robbins), Moose Tracks (Edie's), Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (Blue Bell), Haagen -Dazs Dove Bars, and Dairy Queen's Peanut Buster Parfaits, to name a few. And then there's ice cream's cousins too, Frozen Custard (Ted Drew's, Andy's, Sheridan's) and Gelato. Don't mind if I do.
Kendra bought me a Ninja ice cream maker a while back. I've been wearing it out. It might need a motor overhaul soon. Maple ice cream, anyone?
Love and ice cream, they go together. Just ask the musicians: