I could live on ice cream. It’s my hands-down favorite thing in this whole world. When my brother and I were little, we would scarf down our dinner in order to get to dessert–a bowl of Breyer’s natural vanilla ice cream with Hershey’s chocolate syrup. Sometimes, with strawberries on top. I would eat my scoops quickly, while they still held their perfect shape, trying to divide my chocolate sauce evenly between the bites of vanilla. My brother, on the other hand, would swirl it round and round, even letting it sit for awhile and warm up until it became soupy. Then, he’d slurp it down with his spoon.

Summer camp brought on the advent of Mayfield ice cream sandwiches. After rest hour, we’d all run to Store to grab our treat for the day, and in the hot heat of Alabama, we always went for something cold—an icey soft drink, frozen skittles, or in my case, most likely the ice cream sandwich. I remember licking it evenly around the edges, gently compressing the chocolate wafers until my fingers left their prints, and then with just a little bit of ice cream left, I would bite into the sandwich. Of course, I’d finish it off by licking the extra chocolate from my fingers.

To this day, ice cream is one of the few things that makes me truly happy–most likely because of these memories. And although I am still a die-hard fan of vanilla ice cream with chocolate, I’ve branched out. In France, nothing beats the combination of 2 boules de glace, two tiny scoops of the famous Berthillon ice cream in Paris; I always go for the combination of rich chocolate and slightly tart raspberry sorbet. Italy’s gelato, however, is obviously the best in the world, especially if you wander away from the tourist sites and into the neighborhoods. G is from Rome, and his family lives in an area well outside of the city, whose main piazza has a gelateria that makes the most wonderful Ferrero Rocher gelato.

However, if you aren’t heading to Europe any time soon, or if you need a quick fix to hold you until you get there, you should try Sundaes and Cones, a Japanese ice cream shop on 10th street between 3rd and 4th avenue. They mix up their creamy goodness in-house, and the selection is amazingly varied. You can pick anything from normal (I use that term loosely because it sure beats Baskin Robbins) mint chocolate chip or strawberry to moka chip, tiramisu, or coconut; and if you really want to get adventurous, there’s sesame, corn, red bean, and green tea. And these are just some of my favorites—there are about 30 flavors to choose from at a time.

Prices are more on par with the European treats than with Blue Bunny, but every bite reminds you that it was worth every penny… especially when it’s really hot outside. You can sit inside or out, and if you need a caffeine boost, they serve Oren’s Coffee (for those of you familiar with the coffee shop on Broadway near Columbia).
1 scoop: $3.18
2 scoops: $4.38
3 scoops: $5.54
**prices are for wafer or sugar cones, without tax, although I prefer the waffle cone. It’s also made in house, and its flavor is melt-in-you-mouth delicate.