Let’s face it; there are very few of us who don’t like some form of ice ‘cream’ – be it the full dairy, dairy free, sorbet, gelato, water ices or frozen yoghurt. And many of us will admit to a tendency to indulge in this guilty pleasure a little too often.
Eating Ice Cream is one of those experiences that is closely associated with pleasurable memories: Summer holidays, the sound of the Ice Cream vendor coming down the street, visits to the beach, birthday parties or any of a myriad of other celebrations. The very first taste of Ice Cream has the ability to transport us back to half forgotten memories and favourite people long since gone. We can recall those events with a sense of wistful nostalgia and a gentle longing for things of the past. As a comfort food, Ice Cream ticks all the boxes:
Sometimes hiding in plain sight is enough: At least one tub of ice cream was kept from prying eyes when my kids were growing up – simply by labelling the top of the tub “Lambs Hearts”. As a youngster, I grew up in the Cornish countryside – there were 5 teenagers, 3 grand-parents and 2 parents under the one roof. We had two giant size chest freezers outside in the garage. Ice Cream was bought in 1 gallon tubs – 4.5litres – but the freezers had locks on them. Growing up in that house, raiding the freezer for Ice Cream was almost a capital offense. It might be worth looking at why we need access to some form of comfort food:
There is little doubt that over indulgence on Ice Cream can be pathological – it can lead to disease, especially if full fat Ice Cream is consumed in unhealthily large quantities over a sustained period of time. So we have to look for ways that we can harness the feel good factors of Ice Cream without over indulging. It seems counter-intuitive – we want to find a way of consuming Ice Cream that triggers the release of Dopamine but that doesn’t lead to the negative health consequences caused by over indulgence. In thinking this through I remembered a similar issue I had a couple of decades ago. I found that I could release some of the stresses of work by self medicating using alcohol – mostly cheap whisky. I didn’t need the pick me up of the sugar hit – I needed to calm my thought processes down in order to relax at the end of the day: A job that alcohol does well. It also causes a rush of Dopamine – and even though the Dopamine rush diminishes over time with alcohol (like a lot of mind altering recreational drugs we need more, as well as more often, in order to achieve the same effect) – the combination of feel good hormone and quietened brain activity is, so often, the cause of people developing a dependence on alcohol. About this time, I just happened to have been given a bottle of pretty good Single Malt Scotch. I didn’t want to waste it by quaffing it down by the tumbler full. Instead I used my posh lead crystal whisky glass and measured out my ration of a single tot (no more than 30mL) and added a few drops of water to “release the beast” and heighten the flavour. I made having a glass of whisky an event to be embraced – not an attempt to escape my reality. I made it into a ritual of mindful contemplation. The Dopamine was released. My mind was calmed without being anaesthetised. My alcohol consumption diminished well before it could become a problem. Was there a way that I could adapt this principle to Ice Cream and develop it into a Therapy rather than have it grow by stealth into a Pathology? I set out to find out ways to elevate the occasion from one of escape to one of celebration. I rapidly discovered that ritual was more important than calories. Research in the Hospitality industry has highlighted a few simple steps to elevate a dining experience into one of luxury:
So, in remembering these principles, I set about examining my solo consumption of ice cream to help me identify the things that made it ‘special’ in order to establish the ingredients needed for Aden’s Ice Cream Therapy.
Alone or in company, Aden’s Ice Cream Therapy has way of self-soothing at the same time as feeling like a really good reward. Go on – you know you want to try it.
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