we all scream ...
Gelato. Glace. Glass. Ice cream. Now that our trip has ended, our daily (nope, not exaggerating) habit is being mourned fondly by us and celebrated wildly by our dentists. Both kids had root canals the week we returned home. (#momguilt much?) I wouldn’t say I have no regrets, but we had so much fun slurping our way across Europe. Goats milk, flower-shaped, tea-infused, cereal milk-based, cookie-topped … you name it, we tried it. We appreciated the very liberal sample and scoop-dividing policies — one scoop with two or more flavors — common in Italy. (Hey France, take notes!)
We learned that the unsexy, chilled metal gelato canisters hold the real deal; locals don’t go for the colorful confections piled a foot high in shop windows to attract tourists. In the south of France, Schtroumpf (aka Smurf) is a scary bright blue but tastes like burnt sugar … except for the gummy Smurf on top, which tastes like a gummy Smurf. At a Magnum shop in Venice, the kids chose their base (white or milk chocolate), coating (white, milk or dark chocolate), three toppings (mini marshmallows and Smarties were popular in our household) and a chocolate drizzle of their choice. It was obscene and they loved it. Orange with dark chocolate pieces was a surprise hit in Sweden. Licorice with mint was a revelation in one small town in Italy. For a few especially broiling days, I couldn’t get enough pink grapefruit and lemon sorbet — it was like heat wave crack. At one gelateria in Tuscany, Lulu kept getting an odd-looking Nutella flavor that, when I finally tasted it, turned out to be something close to actual Nutella spread. When I asked the shopkeeper if it was Nutella itself or gelato, the answer I got was: “Sort of.” At least it came from a chilled metal canister.
Here are images of some of our adventures in frozen desserts. Kids, I’m sorry for all the issues with your teeth, both genetics- and gelato-related. Pediatric dentists of NYC: You’re welcome?
