Ice Cream

There’s nothing like a cold, melting ice cream cone on a sweltering hot summer day. The clash of hot versus cold is mind shatteringly intense since you never would’ve thought your insides could feel so cold in the hot weather. As small droplets of the ice cream slowly begin their journey to your wrist, and then your elbow, you lick the ice cream, and then the cone, then your arm as fast as humanly possible. It is all a very skillful process that requires quick movements and developed taste buds in order to fully enjoy the ice cream. Many people order the boring vanilla or chocolate ice cream but the true dairy-lovers get a new flavor each time, experimenting with jimmies and sauces. Soft serve is a predictable buy, either having a chocolate, vanilla or a chocolate-vanilla swirl but I remember in Cape Cod one hot summer as I biked down a twenty-mile biking trail, I stopped at a quaint little ice cream shop. When I arrived at the ordering window and took a quick glance at the flavor list, I froze in my path. As I looked again, I saw the most beautiful array of flavors I could ever see in my entire life. They had almost twenty flavors of soft serve, something I have never seen before. I love soft serve. It took me hours to pick one, after sampling many times, I finally decided on the blueberry soft serve. Thought it may sound gross, it was the best thing I have ever let in my mouth ever. Though that may be a big statement to make, I don’t doubt the truth of it one bit.

If for some bizarre reason you don’t particularly enjoy the firmness of regular ice cream, there’s always the choice of a frappe or a milkshake. As I love soft serve, frappes are also very high on my list. Due to the fact that frappes aren’t completely liquid and have chunks of ice cream in it that didn’t get fully mixed in is why I enjoy them so much. I can’t fully explain why frappes are so good and are sometimes way more satisfying than regular ice cream. Though I said earlier how plain ice cream is boring, vanilla frappes, though very predictable, are actually very good. Mint chocolate chip and chocolate chip cookie dough frappes are also a must have.

Like all other food, there are many brands of ice cream. Ben & Jerry’s is known and well-liked and I agree, their original flavors are all very good and creative. Also, Haagen-Dazs is also very good, even their vanilla is refreshing. However, there isn’t one brand that screams gross and distasteful, but some are definitely better than others.

Yes, it is the sad truth that ice cream can be very fattening, but only if you eat it too much. Everything is fine in proportions so go for an ice cream today and skip the cake for dessert. I promise that it will be worth it.

Word Count: 503

Candy Fanatic

Is candy food? It is a question that so many people ask. I mean, we put it in our mouth, chew it, taste it, swallow it and digest it so I would say it is a food. Others contradict this saying it isn’t a good source of energy or protein or you couldn’t live off candy but really, there isn’t just one kind of food you can live with forever either. So I believe that candy is a food, not a substantial food, but it is still food. And it’s good food too! The vast numbers of different flavors and shapes and colors of candy’s out there is incredible. Every flavor you could ever think of is out there, whether it’s a fruity taste like watermelon or a drinking taste like root beer, there’s always a candy that can perfectly fit your mood or desire.

Candy is a universal food, everyone knows what it is, and everyone has it. Even my essay writing teacher passes out some variety of candy from time to time. Also, there are many different categories of candy such as lollipops, jellybeans, chocolate bars, gummies, hard candy and so much more. The reason candy is such a fantastic food is, it fills you up if you’re on the run and if you’re absolutely bored on an airplane or in a long car ride, candy can fill the boredom. First of all, you’re chewing something yummy and delicious which is always a plus and candy makes you think about things you never would’ve thought about before. For example, when I chew something like skittles, all I think about is how chewy the next skittle is going to be and I try to picture the rainbow and have some funny thing like everything I touch turns into skittles (since that is how they advertise skittles in commercials). It is quite entertaining. Lastly, the best reason is that you can keep eating candy for as long as you feel like it since (it depends on what candy you choose) candy barely has any calories in it so you don’t have to worry if the calorie amount affects your diet. There really aren’t many negatives I can find about candy except that it might rot your teeth, but you can always just brush your teeth.

The best holidays for candy are definitely Halloween and Easter. For Halloween, you can get boatloads of candy by just putting a simple costume on and going door to door asking for candy. It is so simple and so worth the candy. Also, Easter always had the eggs filled with candy that you have to go out and search for, which is a little like Halloween where you have to go on a hunt like you have to go door to door. However, at times like Halloween or Easter, you can’t choose candy’s that you like and I usually get like mini snickers or milky way during Halloween. I hate the fake chocolaty taste of those candies which is why I tend to go more for the fruity candies like sour patch watermelon but my two absolute favorite of all time candies are Mike & Ikes and starburst jellybeans. The fruitiness of each kind is so different yet so delectable at the same time and the small shapes are easy to chew and fun to chew! The starburst jellybeans are more tangy with a slight more sourness to them while the Mike & Ikes have a very non-sour all fruit taste. There are so many more out there I like so there is definitely a candy out there for you!

Word Count: 605

Nachos

At first glance, that pile of toppings all mixed together may appear like it should be going out to the trash. However, after that triangular shaped corn chip gets rescued from the very bottom of the pile, you are rejoicing with relief that you didn’t throw that meal out. To be more specific, this corn chip is part of a meal called nachos. Some people are wimps and only like cheese on nachos, but the brave ones take the supreme order, usually topped with sour cream, ground beef, salsa, cheese, beans, olives, and guacamole. This snack/meal originated in Mexico where the original recipe was fried tortilla chips covered with melted cheese and jalapeño peppers.

I find that the best place to eat these is when you are sitting under an umbrella on the patio of your hotel looking out into the beautiful scenery of the ocean. This may be because any food tastes good when you’re on vacation or because the relaxed feeling needs a good snack to sit with and nachos is the perfect solution. As I sat on the patio under an umbrella on the beach, I do remember that the best nachos I ever consumed where in Belize and Hawaii. As I like it, they were supreme and very warm. Though some people tend to go for the outer chips that are still crunchy so that they can go dip it in all the toppings, I much rather the soggy chips in the center that have melted cheese and wet sour cream on them. Yes, I agree it sounds repulsive but I will still argue it is the best part. Also, the olives are a must have, since olives have been my most favorite vegetable since I was a toddler. Even though I went through a stage of complete hate towards them, I once again found my true passion for them. Now, jalapeños are not number one on my list, however some of you brave eaters like the hot burning feeling taking control on your tongue and in your throat. I won’t lie, they do give a little more flavor and surprise to the chips. Also, another reason why people may like nachos so much is that they have the two-in-one thing going on. First, since the main ingredient is chips, nachos come off hard and crunchy. Though once you get into them, you realize they’ve got a whole other soft side of cheese, beans, guacamole, and sour cream to them. If you’re looking for variety, nachos are the answer.

Nachos are a popular and smart choice for a party. This is because everyone loves them! Since there is such an assortment of flavors and toppings, everyone is happy. Also, nachos come in big portions so no one is left hungry. However, there is no need to worry is you have never tried nachos and you’re one who is easily scared of new things. If you’ve ever had a hard-shell taco with insides of ground beef or salsa or sour cream even, it is just like eating nachos. They are basically siblings, except nachos are so much more delicious. Nachos are a must have, and if you haven’t sat yourself down with a heaping pile of nachos yet, then you are definitely missing out!


Word Count: 547

Pizza-licious!

Party foods usually consist of ice-cream, chips, or popcorn. However, you will never go to party and see that it is missing the famous Italian original, pizza. Though this blast of salty flavor food began as a piece of flat bread covered with cheese and dates, it was then innovated into what is known as pizza by the addition of tomatoes. This is how pizza became pizza; it just kept growing and changing into what you can now get delivered at your door from Dominoes or Pizza Hut. Other than cheese, dates, and tomatoes, we now have a variety of pizzas such as pepperoni, anchovy, buffalo wing, or vegetable. Not only is the topping variable, the type of crust or bread is also changeable. Recently, you can order either crisp crust or even cheese-filled crust. Uno’s has the best varieties of pizza since both their thin crust pizza and deep dish pizza is perfectly made. Also, just to see pizza get made is so intriguing. Bertucci’s uses the huge brick oven right in front of you that encourages you to watch the chefs create all different kinds of pizza. To get the pizza out of the fire-filled oven, they must use a long paddle-like piece of wood that safely goes in and rescues the pizza. By making pizza this way instead of just using something like a regular oven, it gives the pizza a certain feel of the original kind of pizza.

Pizza itself is also quite wonderful. People forget how good pizza can really be since they take it for granted. Pizza places like Papa Gino’s or Dominoes serves pizza like someone trying to sell nickel instead of gold. The quality is poor. Uno’s has the best pizza around, no questions asked. If you don’t like too much crust then you can order the thin crust pizza but if you like the thick crust and loads of toppings then get the deep dish. Dominoes uses too much bread and the cheese and tomato sauce tastes like high fructose corn syrup compared to cane sugar. Yes, Dominoes is good for a big group of people watching the Super bowl, but if your looking for real quality then ditch the delivery.

The reason pizza is so good and usually makes the top five on people’s favorite food list is due to three qualities: crust, sauce, and toppings. The crust has already been discussed, but the sauce makes all the difference. Biting into a pizza with fresh, juicy tomatoes makes all the difference. One of the mistakes that those other cheap pizza places make is that their pizza is always too dry, with not enough sauce. However, it isn’t very pleasant to find tomato skin in your pizza. Papa Gino’s is known for this disturbance. Yes, their pizza isn’t too dry but the tomato skin chunks cause me to bring my own lunch on pizza day. Lastly, the amount of variety that Uno’s serves for their choice of toppings is outstanding. When considering the ratings of pizza, it all comes down to the topping. On a pizza, the cheese can’t be too thick. Also, the biggest turnoff for a pizza is its grease. When this problem arises, the best solution is to take a napkin and dab the top of the pizza, though it is best when this isn’t a problem.

Word Count: 559

A Pie to Die for

After a long day of repetitive, boring schoolwork, the best thing to come home to is a mom in the kitchen, cooking up a surprise. However, it isn’t a surprise for me anymore since my mom makes the same delicious dessert every Wednesday for when my brother and I come home from school. Whiffs of baked sugars and hardened crusts are the signature smell of our kitchen. My mother loves making pies. Mostly apple pie, pumpkin pie, blueberry pie, key lime pie, and especially pecan pie. 

You always know when pecan pie is being made since baking nuts has a very distinct smell. Not only does my mother make pecan pie the most, it is also very conveniently my favorite kind of pie. The other fruity pies are good too. However, the variety of having crunchy and gooey all in one pie is extraordinary. The crunchy part is the baked pecans that are coated in the inner custard part, (smashed up pecans on the top are better), while the gooey part is the sugary butter and egg mixture that looks and feels a bit like a custard. The crust is like any other crust- a floury bread-like crust. 

However, considering fruit pies, apple pie is best. Not the kind you buy at Shaw’s with a thick crust covering the whole top, sides, and bottom. The kind where the crust only covers the sides and bottom and the top has a sprinkled on layer of graham cracker bits. This is best because the graham cracker bits sort of melt into the coated apples, making a wet-ish topping. It sounds gross, but once you try it you can never go back to the standard bread covering crust. Bread-like crusts aren’t distasteful, they are just bland. 

With pecan or key lime pies, whip cream is acceptable, but never eat them with whip cream and ice cream. Ice cream and whip cream together is only acceptable for fruit based pies since it won’t make them too sweet. Since pecan and key lime pies already have an absurd amount of sugar in them, both creams would be like a tsunami of sweetness. 

Also, there is a special secret about how to eat pie. This secret is what makes any pie contain the best taste it can have. First of all, you have to eat it with a fork. I’ve seen people try to go at it with a spoon and it turns out a mess. Forks make clean cut lines so you have to cut it horizontally to the crust every time. On the other hand, when you get to about a half inch away from the outer crust, hold your fork vertically to the crust. When you go to slice the pie again, it will include the outer crust this time. In doing this, it will allow the crust to be eaten with the exact amount of actual pie so the crust isn’t too overpowering. Now, you have been informed of the special pie eating technique. Enjoy it!

Word Count: 504

Valentine's Day Favorite

Chocolate is the king of all snack foods. Everyone knows it and everyone agrees with it. 

Last week, everywhere you went you would see hearts, pink and red. It all makes sense because it was Valentine’s Day. It makes sense because Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate love and people who are in love. However, what also comes with Valentine’s Day is chocolate. I don’t know why but it just does. Chocolate companies got lucky somehow, maybe by good advertising or just plain luck. Nevertheless, a man usually buys a heart shaped box of chocolate for his woman, or the other way around. I particularly enjoy this tradition because my dad always buys our family a huge box of Godiva assorted chocolates on Valentine’s Day. 

I would argue though, that within any kind of chocolate, either Lindt or Hershey’s, milk chocolate is best. Unless you like the bitter tastelessness of dark chocolate, then go ahead and take my untouched dark chocolate leftovers. White chocolate, or vanilla chocolate, isn’t so bad either, but it doesn’t give you the quintessential feeling of eating real, genuine chocolate. 

Hershey’s chocolate is a common favorite of many people, but it just shows their cheap taste in quality. Though it is popular, it is like shopping at K-Mart instead of Nordstrom’s. Its bland taste is almost as bad as the attempt at making the Hershey’s more appealing by adding different flavors in Hershey’s kisses like cherry or peppermint. Also, Hershey’s chocolate always gives you a bad after taste which isn’t what you would expect from something that is supposed to be sweet and delicious. 

Other than the fact that Godiva’s chocolate is the king of all chocolates, its store is also very appealing. The vibrant colors and detailed packaging gives you an impulse to come in and buy some. Though they are very expensive, the assortment of flavors and detailed chocolates are well worth the money. However, there is a slight downside to Godiva as well as there is to Hershey’s; they both have hydrogenated oils in them. I would expect that from Hershey’s, but I wouldn’t expect it from such expensive and high-status chocolate. This comes as a disappointment to me. 

The brand named chocolates are known and well liked by many people, yet I also enjoy the small chocolate shops with all homemade chocolates. Homemade are definitely the best because you don’t pay for its name, you just pay for the delicate and delicious chocolates they carefully make. In these little shops, the best type of assorted chocolate is the kind with thick caramel or molasses inside of them. Though these are my favorites, it is also very exciting to buy a big box of assorted chocolates because then each individual chocolate comes as a delightful surprise to you. The best fine chocolate shop is Pandolfi’s. It is a small, homely shop in Bellingham where, “The family tradition continues”. Their simple yet delectable chocolates are well worth the trip. Therefore, don’t give in to the cheap chocolate of Hershey’s when you could be having hand-crafted, mouth-watering chocolates. 

Word Count: 514