I was having a hard time finding a quote this morning. The one I was going to use was two sentences long and had about eighteen words.
I took those eighteen words and summarized them into four simple words and came up with today’s quote.
It is obvious the original quote was by a politician from the twentieth century. It takes a politician close to two dozen words to explain that life is full of surprises.
I’ve come to learn if a politician has a surprise, I’m getting fucked. That’s enough with the mention of politics.
Let’s talk about ice cream instead.
All the soft serve joints have opened for the season by now. I have the same spots that I’ve been going to since the Carter Administration.
My two favorites are “The Hole in the Wall” on Oak Park Avenue just south of the Ike and “The Polar Bear” on Cermak just west of Harlem Avenue.
I keep my soft serve very simple, Chocolate with a chocolate dip.
Now when it comes to ice cream, I mix it up a little bit. My main stay is mint chocolate chip followed by butter pecan. At Christmas I always get a container of peppermint.
My dad would get us in the car and drive up to Petersen’s in Oak Park back in the day. They have the best pralines, but my favorite is their New York Cherry.
Lately when I get an ice cream, I’ve been going to the Brown Cow in Forest Park. They have a decent mint chocolate chip that costs about the same as a hurricane next door at Shanahans. Ice cream is expensive, but I said several paragraphs earlier that politics won’t be mentioned.
The simple decisions in life.
Am I getting a soft serve or am I getting an ice cream?
That brings into mind another great decision…
… do I go get a depression dog or a Chicago dog?
When I can’t decide, I go with a Maxwell Street Polish.
When I was married and before the Shepkids showed up…. My former wife and I would get a couple late night Polish when we were doing something in the city. We’d sit on the hood and look at the skyline while we gobbled down encased meat smothered in grilled onions….. very romantic!
When we got home we’d put the perforated sheets on the bed. Without them the chances of a Maxwell Street Dutch oven in the middle of the night were high.
Ice cream and hotdogs…. I love summertime in the big city.
I bet a large percentage of Chalkheads will be heading to their local ice cream shop this evening.
What is your favorite ice cream and where do you get it at?
Be astonished today and grab extra napkins.
