Pints v. Half-Pints

I got an e-mail last week from someone offering to send me free samples of ice cream.  My first thought was: SCORE!!!  I knew this blogging thing would pay off, eventually.  Then, I started to feel conflicted about whether I would be compromising the unwavering journalistic integrity of this blog.  I haven’t finalized my policy for reviewing stuff (or started it, even, since no one ever asks for my opinion), but rest assured that when I do, I will ALWAYS find a loophole for ice cream. 

So, let’s talk about the free samples that J.P. Licks sent me.  Peach, mint, honeydew sorbet, and lemon sorbet are among their seasonal flavors this summer.  To ensure a modicum of objectivity, I enlisted my two small children because they can’t be swayed by the almighty dollar.  Everything’s free to them.  Here’s what they thought:

The Preschooler: Wasn’t a fan of the honeydew.  Thought the peach was okay.  Really, really liked the mint despite the disappointing discovery that the dark flecks were not bits of chocolate, but rather mint leaf.  Once that sunk in, though, he decided his new favorite was the lemon sorbet.  And that it was, in fact, “the best ice cream he ever had.”  He has since eaten the entire pint single-handedly, despite deciding halfway through that he should pick out the pieces of lemon zest one by one.  (With the lemon sorbet now gone, he has started requesting lemon slices in his morning juice.  If that doesn’t earn a spanking, I don’t know what does.)  Winner: Lemon Sorbet.  Runner-Up: Mint.

The Toddler: Since the preschooler wouldn’t share the lemon sorbet and someone else wouldn’t share the mint (???), the toddler had his choices narrowed for him.  It may not seem fair, in this very scientific experiment I’ve set up, but trust me, it is.  I didn’t have high hopes for either the peach or the honeydew passing muster because they taste like fruit and, as we all know, the toddler doesn’t eat fruit.  Nevertheless, a clear favorite emerged.  Winner: Peach. 

Based on these results, it would seem that there is a two-way tie.  Except that Husband and I totally disagreed with their conclusions, so we had to muscle them out of the way to set the record straight.  Here’s what the adults had to say:

Me: I thought the honeydew sorbet was a revelation.  It captured the ever-elusive, perfectly ripe honeydew flavor (not sickeningly sweet, yet not watery and cucumber-like, if you know what I mean).  I liked it.  However, it was the fresh mint that stole the show.  I simply could not stop eating it, although the pesto-like flecks of herb left in your teeth are less than attractive.  The lemon sorbet didn’t bowl me over, but far be it for me to argue with a 4-year old about such matters.  Plus, it kept him out of my mint ice cream.  As for the peach, it had an amazing texture, but I thought the beautiful flavor was too subtle.  It would be perfect paired with, say, peaches. Winner: Mint.  Runner-Up: Honeydew Sorbet.

Husband: I’ll cut to the chase.  He’s really not a sorbet kind of guy.  Winner: Mint.  Runner-Up: Peach.

To make better sense out of the results, I devised a complicated scoring system by which you apply points to the winning flavors based on the age of the person who picked them (because, let’s face it, what do kids know?).  Like I said, I’m anything if not fair.  Here were the results:

1.    Mint (winner)
2.    Peach
3.    Honeydew
4.    Lemon (sorry, kid)

So, make haste to J.P. Licks before the summer is out.  And bring (mint-flavored) floss.

Comments

[Susanna]

In spite of all the mint talk, I find myself craving peach ice cream after reading this. Even though mint has always been one of my favorites (though like The Toddler, I prefer mine with hunks of chocolate, and without flecks of plant). I'm sad I live too far from JPLicks to justify a quick trip tomorrow. I'm taking a field trip to explore White Farms ice cream up in Ipswich on Saturday, we'll see what it has to offer in the way of competition.

[sunny12]

wait, i thought the toddler was eating nothing but ketchup??? and how did the clear winner for the toddler emerge exactly? was it based on how much made it into his mouth?

[Preschooler]

I like lemon.

[Tammy]

Preschooler: Pipe down, son.

Sunny12: Oh yeah, the update. He will now only eat ketchup, applesauce, cashews, and pickles. Apparently, I gave birth to a pregnant woman. He will eat almost any kind of ice cream, but he rarely gets to have it since he rarely eats his meals!

Susanna: Keep me posted. That's the great thing about ice cream competition. Everybody wins!

[Jim]

Must..try...mint. I've always preferred a more intense, real mint flavor to the sicksweet green stuff most people pass off as mint chocolate chip. So if this ditches the chocolate chips altogether to deliver that flavor...I can deal.

Something tells me I'm not gonna be importing ice cream from Bahston any time soon, though. Cursed geography foils me again!

[pyewacket]

Hey, why doesn't JP Licks send ME any ice cream?? For that matter, I think they owe me frequent flier miles, at the least. I would guess at least two pounds of my ample derriere is maple butter walnut...

[Tammy]

Pyewacket: Ample derriere, my ass.

Jim: My favorite ice cream growing up was mint chocolate chip (the really sweet fake kind) (made by Brigham's in the South Shore Plaza, not that you care) in a sugar cone with jimmies. But, nostalgia aside, this was better.

[Husband]

FYI for those of you not from the Northeast US, "jimmies" are chocolate sprinkles.

And the mint stuff did indeed rock. Even with the pesto tooth effect.

[Heath]

When do I start getting free stuff from my food blog?

Oh right, I guess I would have to actually POST to have that happen.

Missed you! Have not been cooking OR reading blogs (my bloglines got up to 452 unread food blog post and I got intimidated, so I hit mark all read!) But now I'm back!

[Jim]

Tammy, while I was always a little snob when it came to ice cream ("mommy, get Breyers!" evolved into "mommmy, get Haagen-Dasz!"), a friend of mine had your preference. To the point where, when her older sister took her to a classy ice cream place for some "real" mint, she complained the ice cream wasn't "geen" enough!

Husband, I knew I recognized that term from SOMEWHERE--thanks for clearing it up!

[Tammy]

Jim: Regarding jimmies, you get no street cred around here if you call them chocolate sprinkles. Given your name, it shouldn't be too hard to remember.

Heath: Welcome back. We missed you.