Do I want Bacon and Eggs in my ice cream? No — does anyone?
Was I the first in line (the long, long line) to try Rain or Shine’s new “Bacon and Eggs” seasonal flavour? Of course.
I see you, making a disgusted face while reading about my taste in ice cream as you stuff Ben and Jerry’s classic chocolate chip in your mouth. But why should Rain or Shine have a bad rep as a place that only serves fake flavours like Malted Milk Chocolate with Honeycomb, Honey Lavender and Chocolate? We have restaurants like Mercante serving pizzas loaded with cheese, without so much as a hint of sauce (Pizza bianca? More like Pizza b-I want my 17 bucks back!).
You, a novice, would never think of putting balsamic vinegar or goat cheese in your ice cream. It’s not your fault — you don’t have much of an imagination. How would you? Most of it has been eaten up by long stats lectures where you gaze into the abyss, wondering what life has come to.
I was like you once. I stayed five feet away from any smart-ass establishment that prided itself on being different. I was afraid of being called out by ice cream aficionados for my lack of knowledge about the sheer variety of flavours that Rain or Shine boasts. But one day, desperately craving something sweet, I mustered the courage to walk into the tiny shop next to JJ Bean’s towering walls.
Hungry eyes stared at me as I decided my order. Should I be safe and try the vanilla? No, being safe never got you anywhere, the eyes replied, try the Spicy Lime Margarita. My head spun with confusion and fear of judgement. It was finally my turn to be in the hot seat. Impulsively, I blurted out the most outlandish flavour on the board — Blueberry Balsamic
Suddenly, it didn’t seem so scary. I realised that the fear and confusion was all in my head. And Blueberry Balsamic tastes so good (seriously you have to try it).
This store has changed me as a human. Now if an ice cream does not have mayonnaise, vinegar or even salt as one of its primary ingredients, I don’t want it. I will eat nonsense ice cream, and I will never die.
You have no reason to be intimidated — your inexperience with ice creams will not be mocked at the shop.
Don’t take my two-second rant at the top as an example — I’m just mean by nature. Your inexperience is an opportunity for growth, and we are all here to support you on your journey to discover the brilliance of Rain or Shine. Your taste buds will bear witness to unheard-of concoctions as you bow (and you will bow) in reverence to the god of ice cream and also me, Rain or Shine. I HAVE TRANSCENDED THIS MORTAL REALM AND SHALL BASK IN VINEGAR-FLAVOURED ICE CREAM HEAVEN.
Rain or Shine did not promise me a week’s worth of free ice cream in exchange for this article, and I write this piece of my own volition. They are certainly not breathing down my neck as I write this disclaimer, and any statements to the contrary are slanderous or libellous or both depending on the mode of their delivery.