"You know, all that really matters
is that the people you love
are happy and healthy.
Everything else is just sprinkles on the sundae."
-- Paul Walker
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| Orange twist with sprinkles and a face 3-25-13 |
There's a little takeout ice cream stand smack in the center of our town called the Pied Piper. It officially opened for the season about a week ago, and even though it is still winter here (my kids have a snow day today), opening day at "the Pied" is always a definite sign of Spring.
The Pied is best known for a sundae called the "Nut Dip," but even more so for it's orange-vanilla twist soft serve. If you go, I recommend the orange-vanilla twist. It is creamy and tangy, perfectly balanced, and the orange sherbet gets that sort of crunchiness to it that ... well ... sorry ... I drifted off a little there.
OK. I'm back.
About the only thing that can improve on the Zen-like perfection of plain orange-vanilla twist is ordering it with "sprinkles and a face," which upgrades it into an adorable, meltable, edible little buddy. (Well, maybe not so meltable right now, what with the blizzard and all, but soon. I hope).
"Sprinkles and a face" is targeted towards little kids, of course, but my almost-18-year-old son Sam still orders it from time to time. And he still reacts with childlike glee when they hand his cone through the little sliding glass door.
Which I love.
Sam is a kid with a big personality, so it makes sense that his ice cream cone should have one too. And even though he is all grown up and heading off to college soon, he is still my little boy. And going to the Pied, watching the cars drive past while we enjoy the simple pleasure of a frozen treat, still takes me back to some of the best days of summer -- and of my life.
What does an orange-vanilla twist with sprinkles and a face taste like?
That's easy.
It tastes like happy.
