My daughter Emi was thinking about ice cream as we walked along the streets of Manhattan. When passing one food place after another, talking about food is a given. She said that her favorite flavors – pistacchio and butter pecan – stem from her grandma’s influence during the good old summers spent in New Hampshire. The roads were strewed with ice cream stands and, of course, we would stop. Grandma loved ice cream and she would always order either p or bp. There was never a variation in this area of her life.
As Emi got older her ice cream tastes stayed the same, and when she went out with her friends, she’d want either p or bp. This usually caused a discussion among those she was with as they thought it was an odd choice for her, and would tell her that p & bp are what old people order. Emi didn’t care. And even though they had agreed that p & bp are for old people, Emi’s friends wanted a taste of whichever one she ordered. No one said they didn’t like those two flavors, and I bet the next time they found themselves standing in front of the display case with all those flavors, they ordered either p or bp. And I’ll bet also the idea that p & bp is for old people went the way of the wind.
No one ever told me that p & bp are for old people, so I always went along my merry way enjoying those two flavors. Yes, grandma’s influence was great in the ice cream department. P & bp have been around for a long time. But I know of only a smattering of people who sometimes order p, and never bp – though once they try it, they like it. Summer is right around the corner. It’s never too late to try grandma’s favorite flavors.
Here’s to grandma.