Let's Scream All Together!

Q: Dear 100 Hour Board,

What is the most popular ice cream in the United States?

Brain & Freeze

A: Dear Cookies N Creme,

As my grandfather says. "They should make a statue to the man who invented ice cream. Think about how much happiness he has brought to the world." Ah, yes. But what flavor should it be?

There are sooo many flavors out there. It is tough to decide (unless you are presented with trout ice cream, as made in Iron Chef America). We for one are ready to punt those little kids aside so that we can get to the front of the ice cream truck line.

The answer is simple: vanilla. Let's show you with a little more information. (Data from the International Ice Cream Association in Washington DC).

The first pie chart (a good choice with a big scoop of ice cream!) shows all the favorite flavors. (Ours is in the 'other' category).

The second pie chart (this one rhubarb and strawberry) shows the generic categories. Both show vanilla as king!

Now, as this was an easy answer - anyone who's dropped a delicious scoop of vanilla into cold root beer understands - we offer you some more interesting facts.

The leaders in ice cream consumption: 1 US 2 New Zealand 3 Denmark 4 Australia (per capita).

In the US the mid-northern states eat the most ~42 quarts / person / year. (Average is 23.2 quarts). With Portland, St. Louis and Seattle being the winners (nothing better to do).

Ages 2 through 12 and over 45 eat the most. And 98% of homes buy ice cream.

Some odd flavors are out there, so watch out. Although most of these are in Asia and a single store in Venezuela (500+ flavors). Some include: a whole variety of fish flavors (shark, eel, squid, etc.), corn, chicken wing (if it was buffalo w/ blue cheese swirls I'm game), viagra (just what we need, fat old excited men), garlic, bacon and spaghetti bolognese. 101 found here.

But Ben & Jerry's - a truly loved ice cream provider (or as we say, a packager of love) - gives you a tool to make your own ice cream. With 4 steps and many options the varietes are endless (actually there are exactly 155,999,692,800 varieties).

And one last fact. Sorbets and ices have been around for a while, some believe Marco Polo brought it along from China (along with pasta). But true 'ice cream' showed up in the US around 1715. Is it any wonder that the US has been around as long as ice cream. We at the 100 Hour Board suggest that the Constitution, the Revolution and the United States democracy all came because of the creation of ice cream. Jefferson and Madison loved it. I think you can even see a chocolate ice cream stain on the Declaration of Independence. And why did the British really loose? Brain Freeze. Some call it Divine guidance. We call it Delicious goodness.

100 Hour Board

PS - Some 100HB favorites: basil ice cream w/ virgin olive oil, sorbets of all sorts, spaghetti ice cream (vanilla 'noodles' w/ strawberry sauce and coconut shavings), Graeters!, peanut butter in almost any way.