With July coming to a close, I was reminded through a video posting by fox11online internet producer Scott Hurley that this is National Ice Cream Month. I had unknowingly been celebrating Ronald Reagan's now 25 year-old declaration by eating a half-gallon of Blue Moon ice cream by myself over the past three days. If you've never tasted Blue Moon you have yet to fully understand what it means to be alive. However, no one I've ever met describes the flavor in the same way.
I was just a little kid, probably around 5 or 6 years-old, the first time I tried the colorful ice cream. We had stopped at a Hansen's Dairy in West De Pere, and I was sitting on top of the counter. As a kid, that color definitely pops out at you. I asked what it was and the girl scooping ice cream said people described it lots of different ways, like coconut or pineapple. That sounded a little weird to me, so I had to try a little on one of those sampler spoons. All I remember is that it was good, and from then on, Blue Moon was always a top pick at the Ice Cream Parlor.
The mystery surrounding Blue Moon is pretty intriguing. The Chicago Tribune even did an article on the flavor in 2007 calling it a "cold case" (laugh out loud, good one). One thing is certain, Blue Moon is most popular in the Upper Midwest. That's about the only place you can get a scoop without too much trouble. You'll find posts all over the internet from people who've moved away wondering where they can find it. There are some discrepancies concerning where the flavor originated. The most likely story is that a flavor chemist named Bill "Doc" Sidon came up with Blue Moon sometime in the 1950s. However, the flavor shows up in newspaper articles around the country as far back as the early 1930s. Whether it's the same flavor or an early version of what people enjoy today, we'll probably never know.
So the flavor of Blue Moon remains a mystery. Some people just call it fruity, others say it's got a cotton candy or marshmallow flavor, some even say it tastes like licorice. One of the most popular ways to describe the ice cream is that it tastes like Froot Loops or Fruity Pebbles. If you read the ingredients on a package of Blue Moon ice cream, it will simply say artificial flavors, and that makes sense. Think about when you eat a bowl of Froot Loops and you have that nasty purple-green milk left over. It's a combination of all those fruity flavors in the cereal. Does that taste like Blue Moon ice cream? I'm not sure, but if anyone has a box of Froot Loops and a carton of Blue Moon at home right now try it and let me know.
I've been thinking about conducing my own investigation into Blue Moon. However, I have a feeling the Chicago Mob may be tied in with the secret somehow and I'm a little scared. The story would make a great documentary film, so if you're willing to invest in this idea please contact me.
There's one other thing I discovered about Blue Moon ice cream this week. If you eat a quart in one sitting -- it turns your poop green. So does black licorice so maybe there's something to that theory!
To close, here's my favorite Rat Pack member Dean Martin, drunk as usual, singing about his love affair with Blue Moon ice cream. Dean has a little trouble getting through the lyrics, and for some reason he's subtitled in a foreign language, and realizes it. When he woke up and vomited the next morning I wonder if his puke was blue? And if so, could he remember why?
THE ANGRY PROPHET
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