Quick Memoir - So long Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Bars...

Ohhhhh nooooo...you aren't as good as I remember.

It’s 10 pm. I’ve been job hunting, writing, reading, and watching Food Network all day.  The only breaks that I’ve had from my corner of the couch were food breaks.

Despite my constant munching – I’ve had an incredibly healthy day, which can only be finished off in one way: ice cream. The Super Deluxe Target down the street will have dairy-free ice cream or at least lactose-free ice cream – it’s just a car ride away; however due to my appearance a trip anywhere that might lead to an accidental “spotting/bump into” is completely out of the picture. No one can see me in my sweats, torn t-shirt, and bed-head hair (not the sexy kind that models/actresses sport – I’m talking the hair that screams “I droll” in my sleep).

Therefore my only option is the local deli/corner store/bodega. After walking four blocks (20 min.) and stopping into three different locations, I am left with a Strawberry Shortcake ice-cream bar. It’s not what I originally wanted and it’s certainly not the best thing for my lactose-intolerant digestive system, but after looking into my husbands eyes at our last stop, I realized it was either now or never – Strawberry Shortcake or nothing.

The Strawberry Shortcake ice cream won. It won, because I simply had a sweet tooth and also because it was one of my childhood favorites. When I picked up the bar – the memories of sweet strawberries, crunchy vanilla cookies, and smooth vanilla ice cream flooded my taste buds.  Not to mention, as I held the bar – I felt the soft ice cream under the wrapper. There is nothing better than soft semi-cold ice cream. If I had the patience, I would temper my ice cream (set it at room temp for a while) before I ate it every time. I mean it is a fact that when food/drink is ice cold, the only thing that you taste is the cold. True flavor peaks when food is closer to a chilled room temperature. Saying this, most of the time ice cream goes straight from freezer to my mouth. 

After leaving the store, I ripped into the wrapper and took a huge bite. The vanilla was smooth and soft just like I remembered it. The cookies, not crunchy (like I remembered and wanted), but added an almost chewy texture. There were small bits of strawberry mixed into the cookie crumbles – which added a level of artificial sweetness. But who cares? This wasn’t a farmer’s market treat. Next bite, I hit the strawberry ice cream level...errrrrr…not ice cream. I am not sure what the next level was – it was pink, icy, and filled with artificial flavoring that tasted nothing like strawberry. The texture resembled ice cream that was left to melt and then thrown back into the freezer.

As I take another unsatisfying bite into the factory made “ice-cream” bar, I promise myself that this is my last time eating down memory lane. Some treats (unfortunately) are left better in the past...