Sunday, April 20, 2008

We all scream for ice cream


I really feel sorry for those that are lactose intolerant. As a passionate cheese lover, I'd weep for days mourning the loss of grilled cheese sandwiches, a slice of Swiss with my turkey on wheat, or milk to dunk my Oreos in. Most of all, the oozing, warm sensation in a Gordo's flour quesadilla with shredded pork.

The other loss would be ice cream.

In the past year, Dreyer's has put on the market their line of reduced fat and sugar flavors marketed under "Slow Churned Rich & Creamy". Other brands I've had of "reduced fat" = "reduced taste". While it isn't god-awful like lowfat cheese, it doesn't satisfy like real ice cream does.

I then started to notice how often I was seeing "Slow Churned Rich & Creamy" flavors showing up in the checkout lines. I finally asked a woman in front of me if the ice cream was any good. She said yes, but not the enthusiastic-jumping-up-and-down kind of yes I was hoping to get. It wasn't until they went on sale that I finally put one into my cart.

Mint Chocolate Chip was the first flavor I got. It is one of my favorite flavors of ice cream. This version is good, but not great. Better than most reduced fat ice creams I've had. Almost as satisfying as premium ice cream. Now I understand the woman's reaction in the checkout line. Then a limited edition of peppermint came out during the Thanksgiving-Christmas season. Oh man.

And this past week, Butter Pecan. I really like it. An "oh man" in my book. Standard versions of Butter Pecan ice cream are usually too syrupy and rich for my tastes. But Dreyer's version does it right. Enough to satisfy my fix, but not too much that I have to be wheeled out on a gurney. I had some last night and finished the remainder in the carton this morning.

For a middle-aged foodie, it's enough to hold me over until my next visit to the grocery store.

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