Subtitled: My sad demise into a bubble gum ice cream frenzy (AKA: I owe you an explanation about all the bubble gum ice cream references on this blog)
As part of our quest for culture and diversity last week, I planned a "side trip"...to Krispy Kreme. (Because, what says more after a weenie-filled culture and diversity day than a trip to Krispy Kreme?) And, BECAUSE I'M PREGNANT AND I WANTED KRISPY KREME, OK?!? BACK OFF...
Anyway...
After our day of "touristing" at the museum, we set off to find the nearest Krispy Kreme per my printed directions from the always reliable MAPQUEST (which was, thankfully, only about 5 miles away). As we get closer, the nice little female voice (read: annoying and loud) of the GPS system told us: DESTINATION ON RIGHT! I slowly gaze up, drool forming in the corner of my mouth, only to find THIS staring back at me:
Look, Dunkin Donuts are FINE, but they ARE NOT Krispy Kreme donuts (and shame on you if you don't know the difference). One of two things happened: 1) this was an ingenious marketing ploy (putting your biz address in, but naming it Krispy Kreme), or 2) Dunkin Donuts had purchased my beloved Krispy Kreme. Either way, there were no hot-glazed-melt-in-your-mouth pieces of fried dough for me. However, this Dunkin Donuts also happened to be a dual Baskin Robbins (which I know FOR A FACT carries my pink bubble gum ice cream. However, don't be fooled by the pic on the link because I'm CERTAIN that what is pictured is STRAWBERRY because it is CERTAINLY NOT pink bubble gum - I consider myself quite the connoisseur). As we drive by, I scream STOP! BUBBLE GUM ICE CREAM! (and almost give my husband a heart attack). To make a long story short, they didn't have it (because why would they have something a pregnant woman has been craving for months now?!?) AND, OF COURSE, they had no Krispy Kremes (because, like, why would a Dunkin Donuts?!?).
BACKGROUND ON THE BUBBLE GUM: For this bubble gum ice cream fetish, I blame my parents. There was a small ice cream shop in a nearby town where I lived growing up. They had this delicious pink bubble gum ice cream. The ice cream IS pink, tastes like bubble gum and then there are square pieces of bubble gum all through the ice cream. Yes, they were hard from being frozen into the ice cream, no you really couldn't chew/blow bubbles with them, yes, they almost broke your teeth, but they were yummy to eat/swallow with your ice cream. My brother and I used to get it ALL. THE. TIME.
FAST FORWARD 38 YEARS: OK, I'm not a big ice cream person (shockingly enough), but WITHOUT FAIL, each time we go somewhere to get ice cream, I look for pink bubblegum. I've looked at ice cream shops. I've looked online (correction: spent countless, pregnancy-induced frenzied cravings online) trying to find where I can order it.
IT IS NOWHERE.
I mean, it's "seasonal" at Baskin Robbins (I mean, if you live near one, or near one that carries it at all). supposedly Breyers has bubble gum ice cream, but, personally, I think it's an urban myth (as I've never seen it AND it is certainly NOT the pink bubble gum ice cream I've discussed). I'm obviously not the only who wants it. I mean, I've found a recipe for bubble gum ice cream (but heck, who has time for that when I would gladly pay $52 to have it shipped to me IF I COULD FIND SOMEWHERE TO ORDER IT), merchandise celebrating it, forums/blogs about it. SO WHAT GIVES!??!
I was beginning to think it was a cruel, cruel joke being played on me. Until last Saturday, that is. We were out driving around (also known as procrastinating about a house that needs to be cleaned) when we found this little roadside custard place, Cheryl's Custard & More. And, guess what? They still didn't have bubble gum ice cream. HOWEVER, they did have bubble gum flavored custard. It WASN'T ice cream (it was custard). It WAS pink. It DIDN'T have bubble gum pieces. But it DID taste just like the pink bubble gum ice cream I grew up with.
And it will do just fine for now.
God Bless, Cheryl. God Bless.
