by Evelyn Boston Munley

Created on: July 30, 2009

Nobody can have just one favorite flavor of ice cream; it can't be done! It would be like asking someone to pick their favorite child. This smooth and creamy treat is more than a dessert; it is a mainstay in the American diet. It rates right up there with hot dogs and apple pie. Why, it's practically a food group all by itself! Never in a million years could I pick just one flavor, but I think I can narrow it down to a reasonable few.

As the all-star of dairy products, ice cream boasts dozens of flavors. When I was a little kid, like most youngsters today, plain old chocolate was my first love. Whenever we went out for supper, I always had a small dish of it for dessert. Another treat that my parents indulged my sister and me in was the ice cream float. Our favorite was made with either orange or root beer soda and vanilla ice cream. Mmm ... You have to love soda's fizzy sweetness sliding over the velvety coolness of ice cream - kind of like a snow cone on steroids!

When I was a little older, I remember that mom started buying ice cream to keep in the freezer on a more regular basis. (She was an addict, too.) More flavors had emerged on the scene, and one that our family was quite fond of was White House Cherry. Whose white house it was, I still don't know, but I really liked those plump, burgundy cherries. Now this may turn some readers' stomachs, but I would take a spoonful, suck the ice cream off the fruit, and then remove the cherries from my mouth. I would line them up around the perimeter of my placemat, and eat them one by one after the ice cream was gone. Who does that and why? Heck if I know, but I do remember that it annoyed my father to no end.

Ah, the thought of my first adult ice cream fetish just came to mind: chocolate peanut butter cup. Actually, I think I inherited this craving from my mother, though she was more partial to the vanilla peanut butter swirl. Anyway, all I know is that the contrast of rich milk chocolate against luscious peanut butter should probably be outlawed, or rationed, or something. If I could get away with it, I'd probably have it for lunch every day.

Finally, this article would not be complete without paying tribute to my present day ice cream of choice: mint chocolate chip. Talk about contrasts. There's something about that creamy, minty mixture interspersed with the most decadent dark chocolate chips. Actually "bits" better describes the brand I favor, which is the way the chocolate should be - not too big or chunky (which is what all this ice cream is causing me to be). As my mother would have said of chips that overwhelmed the minty-ness of the ice cream, "They taste like Ex-Lax!" Yes, there must be a perfect balance between chocolate and mint to achieve the sensual-yet-sophisticated palate of my present day ice cream preference.

I must confess that I did suffer a minor set-back when I read that Timothy McVeigh had mint chocolate chip ice cream as his last dessert. It really bothered me to know this; but, time is a great healer and I have once again learned to appreciate my favorite flavor for what it is, not who may or may not eat it.

It seems my taste for this frozen confection has grown throughout the years, which is not to say that I would turn away any one of these flavors at this or any moment. Also, I do stray off the "eaten path" (sorry) every now and then, but I always come back to my two adult favorites ... sometimes with a White House cherry on top.

Learn more about this author, Evelyn Boston Munley.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.