A Scoop of Home

Not sure whether to be proud or ashamed.

Long before I moved to the city, when I was still a child, one of the highlights of my weeks would be accompanying my Dad to the grocery store. Now he was very stern about getting things on the list, he rarely strayed. If you want the good stuff you had to go when Mom was doing the shopping. I still liked to go with Dad though because it was almost like a scavenger hunt. I knew asking for things that weren’t on the list though would be a request made in vain. Ben and Jerry’s ice cream always caught my eye though. They have extremely clever marketing; I can still remember the design of the original pints of Phish Food, Wavy Gravy, and New York Super Fudge Chunk like I saw them yesterday. The names, flavors, and colors they use are all extremely unique. My Dad was a fan of New York Super Fudge Chunk and I had my eye on Phish Food for weeks. The name along intrigued by 5-year-old mind, I remember thinking “but fish food is for fish.” So after weeks of going through the frozen food aisle in silent I eventually gave in to my craving. I asked my Dad for Phish Food. Now he was either in a really good mood or just loved Ben and Jerry’s too, cause he responded with a clear yes. From time to time I would ask him to get it again and he always would. A pint of Phish Food for me and a pint of New York Super Fudge Chunk for him was always the way it went. As time went on I, as all kids do, grew up and thought I was too cool to be a part of those little moments that make a family what they are. That meant the end of the trips to the store and the end of our duo of Ben and Jerry’s.

It’s December 2010. I’ve lived in the city for about two months. Maybe a part of me was feeling a little homesick or maybe it was just because my roommate was buying one but either way I picked up my first Ben and Jerry’s pint in years: Magic Brownies. The flavor is a delicious mix of Black Raspberry Ice Cream Swirled with Sweet Cream Ice Cream & Fudgy Brownies. Luckily my girlfriend is my partner in crime so she was down to share it with me. When we ate it everything came rushing back to me. It wasn’t just ice cream anymore. It was the comfort of home and the longing for a childhood I was so far past. As we finished the pint I noticed it was a Limited Edition flavor. I thought to myself that maybe I should clean out the pint and put it on one of the many shelves in my apartment, who knows, maybe I’d get more limited flavors soon. Well I had no idea then it would turn into an obsession. Before I knew it there were 8 different pints in my freezer, being eaten only one bite at a time. At least I take pleasure in enjoying them. Now, only a year later, my girlfriend and me have had every single Ben and Jerry’s flavor offered since we began collecting them. We’ve even hunted down “store exclusive” flavors that are only available at either Wal-Mart or Target. Wal-Mart is currently offering Banana Cream Pie and we’re on the look out for that.

Ben and Jerry’s is the only ice cream and one of the only sweets I indulge in. I don’t think it’s just about the ice cream anymore though. Sure their names are super creative. The designs are colorful and eye catching. Above all the ice cream is premium and pound for pound better than any other ice cream out there. That’s not all it means to me though. It’s the memories I cherish. Every bite holds a nostalgia feeling that makes me feel right back in that shopping cart with my Dad asking him for that pint of Phish Food.  Every bite brings me back home even when I’m in another state. Every bite gives me a bit of tranquility in a city that never stops. That’s a value that goes far beyond any dollar amount.