Monday, January 18, 2010

Strawberry Ice Cream and Humpday

I worked in a Baskin Robbins as a teenager (I can write in cursive icing!), so I feel I know something about ice cream flavor demographics. Old people: butter pecan and pralines 'n cream; men: strawberry. It's that simple. Women do not order strawberry (why? there's chocolate) and children do not order pralines 'n cream (what's a praline?).

Have you seen the movie Humpday? (spoiler alert) I watched it with Jonathan on Saturday night. It's a strange film, I thought Anna's character was quite well done, but I felt like where they went with the main characters (especially Andrew) could have been much more interesting/ more explored.

Towards the end of the film, after they decide not to have sex, Andrew orders himself a burger and strawberry milkshake from room service; Ben also orders a burger, but gets his shake half strawberry/half chocolate. Right after ordering, Ben remembers his abandoned wife, is overcome with guilt, and departs before the food arrives.

The next day, Jonathan and I were discussing the film.

I said, "I think Ben's milkshake was intended to symbolize his sexual (/identity?) conflict, since it is well known that strawberry is an exclusively male flavor of ice cream."

Jonathan: "What I like about discussing movies and books with friends is that you can think so many things and see things in so many different ways, and it's all equally valid."

It's one of my favorite things, at the beginning of a relationship, when neither of you is sure how much the other one is kidding. And now it seems like maybe I was wrong about the strawberry. do you think it's plausible that I have 17 female readers?

In other news, I played paintball for the first time. It doesn't hurt at all; I don't know what everyone was talking about. But I learned that I would not be a good soldier; I get too easily confused.

also, please suggest some funny team names for my amateur east team! (Ana Izoria, Ben Katz, Stephen Moore and me)

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Growing up it was us three brothers. If there was ice cream in the house, it was probably chocolate vanilla strawberry. I don't think we ever touched the strawberry, unless the chocolate and vanilla were gone, or maybe a tiny amount was on the scooper. Usually our mother ate it. I've never ordered strawberry ice cream in my life, and can't imagine doing so, unless it was for a chick. I think you are wrong about men liking strawberry ice cream, and about the movie. I didn't see it, but from your description the ice cream must symbolize their repressed homosexual urges.

Anonymous said...

"Slavatar"
"District Fine"
"Inglorious Batsfords"

?

Anonymous said...

I like homemade strawberry ice cream, in which you can really taste the fresh strawberries. Store-bought, not so much. I have to be in a particular mood for it. What I really go for are the combo flavors, like Mint Avalanche and Peanut Butter Cup and Espresso Oreo. And khulfee. I'm queer for khulfee. But you can't get it where I live.

Anonymous said...

At 40 I must be old. Maple nut is #1, but butter pecan is a close facsimile. Never took a liking to pralines. Strawberry is my favorite shake, but not a favorite as a solid ice cream cuz the strawberries are hard and taste a little sour in solid state. Before college, I was all chocolate mint, but now I only rarely get it when I long for childhood.

Anonymous said...

Yes, new relationships and not knowing when the other is joking. Inevitably I err to far on the side of assuming they are kidding (oops). As a female reader, I'd like to say yes to chocolate and to minty flavors and even vanilla bean. Strawberry seems kinda gross to me. Though I've never thought of it as a man's flavor, I'm sure your market research is somewhat more statistically relevant than my speculation that men would not order it simply because it was pink. I do know that if a guy ordered me strawberry without asking me, I'd think he was a jerk.

Braden Bournival said...

Watch "Pan's Labyrinth" next time. Trust me, you'd absolutely love that movie.

ben daswani said...

flick suggestion: Kontroll

p.s. mint chocolate chip...

Anonymous said...

Strawberry isn't really a man's flavor. The taste and color are too girlish. From experience, I see kids like it a lot (after vanilla and chocolate). My wife likes it too. Me, never. Chocolate mint or coffee. For some reason, I've noticed that girls/women don't like mint flavored ones.

Kapalik

Craig Berger said...

I don't know any male who would be caught dead eating strawberry ice cream. It's PINK for God's sake. That's why they have "Strawberry Shortcake" and not "GI Strawberry."

Bionic Lime said...

I love strawberry malted milkshakes...

And, the team name I've always wanted to use (but haven't been on a team in the past 25 years) is:

"Leko my ECO"

Feel free to use it....

Granny O'Doul said...

I don't feel like thinking but of the suggestions here, I like Inglorious Batsfords, though maybe it should be "Batsferds". I'll come back if I think of anything but don't count on it.

Anonymous said...

Every year I name my fantasy baseball team the Heroes of the Revolution, and my fantasy football team the Enemies of Reason. Although I think I'm going to retire the Enemies of Reason. Pro football just isn't fun anymore, with everyone huge and fat and unathletic and getting injured every third game.

I like Glob's Inglourious Batsferds.

For some reason "Imma Let You Castle" just popped into my head.

Anonymous said...

You were fortunate with the paintball - there have been many people, including kids, who mess around with paintball guns and got shot in the face, eye or auditory canal (I know they should be wearing safety gear, but they were messing around) and sustained serious (e.g. needed surgery) injuries. Just pointing that out. So play, but wear your gear!

Robinson said...

All that came to me for a team name - "More Icky, Furry Cats"?

I must have a female tongue -- I was just asking my wife why she bought strawberry ice cream when there is chocolate. (Or "Moose Track" - mini Reese's pieces in vanilla with a steak of caramel. Yummy.)