By Michelle Railey
Happy Sweetest Day.
Sure, the holiday first appeared in 1921, a creation of Cleveland chocolatiers. And, okay, maybe Wikipedia says that it is only celebrated in eleven states “plus Texas.”
Still: a holiday built on love and sugar? Well, Valentine’s Day is only once annually; it seems to me that odes to love and odes to sugar can be built into every day into more than one day a year.
Our hearts (and palates) are large enough for that. Surely?
So, here. In celebration of Sweetest Day, or Valentine’s or any day that ends in “y,” are these things: gratuitous gelato photographs. (When in Las Vegas, take an extraordinary number of gelato photographs. Because gelato is pretty. And, as Dostoevsky said, “beauty will save the world.” By “beauty,” he meant “gelato.” Trust me.)
And…because you always wondered, is how gelato differs from ice cream: (1) It contains less butterfat. Gelato averages around 10 grams of butterfat per serving but ice cream typically hovers between 18 and 26 percent butterfat. (2) Gelato is more dense than ice cream because air is generally added to ice cream. But gelato? Not puffed up. (3) Ice cream is generally served at around 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Gelato? About ten degrees (F) higher: warmer temperatures equal more taste and texture (cold is numbing, of course).
And now you know.
– Besides being a useful adjunct to courtship, Ice-cream is often employed to feed poets upon. ~ “A Few Casual Remarks on Ice-Cream,” Puck, 1881 June 8th
Of course, even with the differences, gelato can still be considered Italian ice cream. And ice cream, like love, is a perfect thing to think about on Sweetest Day (or whatever day; in fact, any day).
So then, here follows, my final offering on Sweetest Day (or Saturday or whatever day): quotes about ice cream and quotes about love. Gelato will feed the soul (it doesn’t care if you call it ice cream). And love? Well, allegedly, it’s all you need. (Of course, if you have ice cream/gelato, love may be more/less important. That’s up to you.)
The “sweetest” quotes:
“Without ice cream, there would be darkness and chaos.” ~Don Kardong (if you replace “ice cream” with “love,” the quote would still be true.)
“Is there any better way to prove your burning love to a girl than to give her ice-cream?” ~Richard D. Ware, Westward, Ho!, 1894
“Ice-cream is the favorite currency of love.” ~”A Few Casual Remarks on Ice-Cream,” Puck, 1881 June 8th
“Ice cream is happiness condensed.” ~Terri Guillemets (for “happiness,” substitute “love.” Still true.)
“So… Italian gelato. Take the deliciousness of a regular ice-cream cone, times it by a million, then sprinkle it with crushed-up unicorn horns.” ~ Jenna Evans Welch, Love & Gelato (Substitute here “love” for “Italian gelato.” Totally true.)
At the end of the day, love and gelato and ice cream? Synonyms. (Or something.)
Which we always suspected.
May your Sweetest Day (or Saturday or whatevs) be sweet. And, better, served cold. With hot fudge.