Ice Cream: The Only Good Thing About a Warm Winter

Posted February 5, 2016 by Katie Caskey

I don’t know about all of you, but I am NOT happy about this crazy warm “winter” we’ve been having this year. I want snow, and hot chocolate, and ice skating, and cold cheeks and noses! I do NOT want to walk out of my house in a spring jacket and be sweating from the humidity before I reach the train station. Last night, in particular, I was really feeling steamed about this heat wave. So, I decided to make myself chilly, even if it was 50-some degrees outside. (I should explain that I’m from Minnesota, so the cold is in my blood…it’s a part of me…I need it). Anyway, I headed to the freezer, dug out a carton of cookie dough ice cream, and prepared to make my own winter experience. As I settled onto the couch and started munching, my brain began to wander, as it does, and I got to thinking about ice cream. It’s just the most wonderful treat, and it’s so customizable! You can make it fruity, chocolatey, hard, soft, melted, floated, etc. So, today, I want to honor this pinnacle of desserts by sharing a few fun ice cream facts with you!

 In the 1300s, Marco Polo brought an early form of the dessert back to Europe.

Americans were first introduced to ice cream in the 1700s, but at that point it was only for the societal elites.

1904 – The waffle cone premieres at the World’s Fair in St. Louis. ***Side note: This, in my opinion, is the best thing to happen to ice cream…ever!***

New Zealand is the world’s largest consumer of ice cream per capita, with the US as a close second.

The average American consumes 48 pints of ice cream per year (though I would guess graduate students have a large hand in the size of that number)

It takes 50 licks to finish a single scoop cone.

So there you are…a few fun facts about one of the most therapeutic desserts on the market. Next time you’re upset about the warm weather, just remember…at least you have an excuse to eat ice cream all year long! Head out to the store and try a new flavor today (my most recent favorite is pistachio and fudge) and get to work on this year’s 48 pints!