Confession No. 1: On more than one occasion, I’ve eaten as many as four bowls of ice cream in one day.
Confession No. 2: I used to drink Hershey’s chocolate syrup straight from the can.
Ice cream says summer. It says happiness. And if I had kept eating ice cream at the pace I did as a kid, it would also say quadruple bypass.
In this issue, we usher in the season with a celebration of ice cream and other frozen deliciousness. We visit with former Carrboro mayor Mike Nelson for a lesson on homemade lavender ice cream. We sample the sweet offerings of a raspados truck in North Durham. Emily Wallace, whose illustrations often grace these pages, animates exotic toppings and explains in graphic detail the difference between gelato, sorbet, sherbet and others.
Vegans, we haven’t forgotten you. But as a former vegan, I’ll admit that soy- and rice-based desserts are mute. They say nothing to me except “We’re not ice cream.” You might disagree.
Read about ice cream-themed songs and listen to my Spotify playlist, including “Double Chocolate Malted” by Jonathan Richman and “The Good Humor Man He Sees Everything Like This” by Loveperfect accompaniment for devouring that hot fudge sundae. And now that your mouth is watering, check out our short list of local places to buy frozen treats.
At 7:09 p.m. on June 20, summer arrives. At that moment, I’ll be eating insects at the Museum of Life and Science’s Invertavoria Dinner. But when I’ve finished off the last skewered katydid, I’m going to buy myself a thick chocolate malt and crank up the stereo.
