I don’t watch a lot of TV. I have a few shows that I record (my current line-up includes House, Modern Family, and Dog Whisperer), and I watch them as I walk on our treadmill during these cold, dark, icy winter months. But as soon as the sunshine and safe pavement of spring arrives, I’m outside – and the television is set aside.
Since getting the new puppies, however, I have been watching a little more TV. Every evening after walks and dinner, the puppies and I sit on a chair in the living room and have ‘cuddle time’. This is the one time in the day they are allowed on the human furniture (they have furniture all their own – and ample quantities of it!), and we all sit and snuggle for 20 minutes or so; it’s their reward for being good boys the other 23 hours of the day, and is also a lovely way for all of us to bond. During cuddle time, there isn’t much I can do apart from petting them and watching TV. (Two dogs on my lap doesn’t leave much room for a book, puzzle, or craft; and two dogs means I need two hands available for petting, anyway.) So for the past month, my daily TV consumption has increased by nearly 100%; and I’m learning some interesting things as a result.
A few of the shows I watch during cuddle time include Modern Marvels and How It’s Made. Ever since watching the crayon factory episode of Sesame Street as a wee tot, I have been hooked on seeing production in action. (I think this also helped fuel my fascination with construction gear – but I digress.) On a recent viewing of How It’s Made, the camera crew went to the Dippin’ Dots factory – and I got to see how the teeny tiny pellets of ice cream came to be.
I had seen Dippin’ Dots before as a consumer – at carnivals, amusement parks, fairs – but I never felt compelled to try them. In all honesty, they seemed kind of gross to me. (The unnaturally fluorescent colors alone were enough to turn me off…) But when I saw the behind-the-scenes of how this concoction is produced, I admit that I was intrigued. Hmm…
Interestingly, for the past several months I have been trying to locate a crazy ice cream flavor to try. Something like corn, or wasabi, or avocado… (And yes, all of these flavors really do exist.) But the closest I came to finding something “outlandish” was Jimmy Fallon’s ‘Late Night Snack‘ – a vanilla ice cream base with salty caramel and fudge-covered potato chips mixed in. Kind of interesting, and probably tasty – but just not quite enough of a ‘wow’ factor for me.
In my latest trip wandering the frozen case at the grocery, I did spy a display of “Ittibitz” – a facsimile of Dippin’ Dots. In lieu of locating an exotic flavor of ice cream, perhaps I should try a crazy style of the treat? Eh, why not.
So I purchased the Neapolitan flavor of the pellet ice cream, mostly because I know how real Neapolitan ice cream should taste; so I could do an accurate comparison of traditional treat to crazy confection.
After dinner last night, I decided to crack open the small tub of creamy pellets and complete #77 on the 101 list. But just before I peeled back the lid, I noticed an instruction: “Shake well before opening.”
Hm, curious. (And a wee bit unsettling.) Okay…. So I rattled the tub around a few times, and some of the stuck-together balls dislodged slightly from each other. I guess that’s all that needs to be done…
I removed the cover and examined the brown, white, and obnoxiously pink frozen BBs. They looked so processed and artificial, it’s not even funny.
I tentatively dipped my spoon into the pile, and extracted a small mound of the balls. I slowly raised the spoon to my lips. I can’t believe I’m about to eat this.
Here goes…
I couldn’t help but chew the first bite of granules – my reflexes just took over. Solid food equals chewing in my mind; and at first contact, the little balls do feel pretty solid. However, after 3-4 gentle bites (I have super-sensitive teeth), the pellets kind of melted down a bit and smushed together in my mouth, and formed one solid-yet-soft mass. Definitely interesting.
The overall taste of this ice cream (if I dare call this ‘ice cream’) is pretty poor. It’s quite bland, and has a very ‘waxy’ note (reminiscent of those wax lip thingys that children play with at Halloween…) I can tell that the ingredients used to make this product are super-cheap; the company’s budget must go into processing equipment and marketing instead of sugar and cream…
Still, this little venture was kind of fun. I actually did enjoy the whole textural experience of feeling the cold individual pellets congeal into one cool mass of what could pass for a frozen treat… But now that I’ve tried it once, I don’t think I’ll consume this type of ice cream again. Good enough to say that I went, I saw, I ate – and now I’m done. 🙂
Stef
How It’s Made!! Are you watching the 5-day marathon that is currently underway? So hooked on that show!
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A “marathon” viewing session of TV for me is about 60 minutes worth. 🙂 But I agree, the show is pretty darn cool.
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You made me smile…. and now I have a craving for ice cream and a puppy.
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Maggie, thank you so much for your comment! (And subscribing; I really appreciate it.) Ice cream and puppies – how can you go wrong? 😉
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you ate ice cream in January? I tell ya, the world is full of strange people. hee hee.
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I will eat ice cream any month of the year (and indeed, I do). I’m a sucker for sweets.
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I eat ice cream maybe twice a year. My BFF is like you though and has it all year, whenever she can. I tease her about it all the time.
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Only twice a year? That’s just crazy talk!
I had some ice cream tonight (a vanilla/chocolate combo); it was very tasty. 🙂
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I think I caught a bit of that show… And reading the word “wax” in your mouth made me think of candles… 😐
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Oh yikes – is that like punishing a child for saying a swear word by making her eat soap? Ugh. Fortunately this was nothing like that! 🙂
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Funky looking things. 🙂
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Funky looking and funky tasting; but indeed an interesting marketing ploy. They got me to buy them once; but I won’t be making a repeat purchase.
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I am not a fan of dippin dots. It’s a texture thing for me – along with what you say about the fluorescent colors! Glad you have fun trying something new!
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I think the target market for Dippin’ Dots are children ages 4-9. (Maybe up to 11.) Since we don’t fall in that demographic (mercifully), I’m not surprised that we don’t care for the confection (concoction). 😉
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Pingback: #77 Revisited (aka, Ice Cream Take Two) | Smile, kiddo.
In Russia people eat ice cream every day of the year — on the street — amidst the drifts of snow. Your kind of place, Stef!
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Russia seems like a study of contrasts; interesting and yet perplexing at the same time. I imagine I could have some fun visiting it! I’d definitely enjoy the ice cream scene. 🙂
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