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The Case For Ice Cream In Winter
By
Nell Casey
Published Jan 6, 2017
Modified Jan 6, 2017
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By
Nell Casey
Published Jan 6, 2017
Modified Jan 6, 2017
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On a recent December evening, struggling to find a post-dinner activity that didn't involve alcohol, I found myself heading down an unlikely avenue (for me): dessert. Specifically, an ice cream parlor for dessert, a pastime most often reserved for sweltering summer evenings. But I'm here to tell you: I am now a wintertime ice cream advocate, dear reader.
The line outside OddFellows in Williamsburg in June (Yelp)
First and foremost: the f*cking lines. Heading over to OddFellows in Williamsburg, my boyfriend grew concerned about whether we'd "be able to get in." During the summer, lines can sometimes stretch down Kent Avenue—and those are just the people waiting outside.
But on this Thursday evening, around 8 p.m., the place was almost [pause for dramatic dad delivery] desserted.
Quick Bites columnist and Ice Cream Aficionado Scott Lynch commiserates. "Unless you love lines, the only time you can eat at Morgenstern's is in winter," he said via email. "I've been twice this past week for the unbelievably good Coconut Ash." Noted.
Burnt Marshmallow Milkshake from OddFellows Ice Cream Co on Facebook
Next: science. Westerners are obsessed with consuming cold things during the summer and hot things during the winter. The thinking behind this couldn't be more misguided. Eating a bowl of ice cream or downing a milkshake in the winter can actually warm you up.
"While it may seem logical that introducing something cold, like ice cream, into the stomach should help reduce temperature, its initial cooling effect is rapidly replaced by heat generated by digestive processes needed to break down the nutrients in ice cream," according to one Post-doctoral Research Fellow in Neuroscience. "Digesting calorie-rich food leads to an increase in body temperature." Scienced!
Via Facebook
And finally, nobody should feel bound by deeply ingrained societal cues that dictate what's "right" and "wrong" in the way—and kinds of foods—that we eat. So embrace that cold Banana Split with your wind-chapped hands while drinking rose whenever you damn well please.
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ice cream
seasonal foods
the case for ice cream
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Nell Casey
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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