Ice cream in the dark

One of the most memorable meals that I have had came in Dunedin, New Zealand in 2017. It wasn't the most extravagant meal I ever had, but it is the memory that first pops into my head when I think of my trip to New Zealand. 

Having spent the previous few days eating regional specialties of New Zealand to celebrate my grandmother's 80th birthday with different groups of her friends and family, we decided that  we would take out some food and bring it home that Friday evening. We decided to walk to the local fish and chip shop a few blocks away with my uncle Stuart. It was a cool spring evening with a light wind. As we walked through the neighborhood my dad and uncle spent time talking and reminiscing about the things which had changed since my dad was last here. I spent most of the trip admiring the area and taking in the foreign atmosphere. 

After we had gotten our fish and chips, we walked back home. This was my first chance to try authentic fish and chips. It was expectedly greasy, but not as much as some of the American counterparts I had tried. Unlike some of the American versions, the fish actually had flavor to it. The fish was local. Dunedin is a port city off of the Pacific Ocean and the fish being used for fish and chips and other dishes come from local fishermen. While I am not well versed in the science of food, the fresh and local fish is certainly related to the better flavor compared to the frozen fish used in the US. 

Following dinner and a phone call with my mom who was still in Champaign, Stuart suggested getting some ice cream to finish off the day. At this point it was nine o'clock and nearing dark, but we decided to walk to the Prince Albert Road Dairy. The dairy was near the fish and chip shop we went to several hours earlier. After some friendly banter between Stuart and the shop owner, we bought our ice cream. I got a scoop of Hokey Pokey ice cream and gumdrop two New Zealand staples. 

You cannot go to New Zealand without trying Hokey Pokey ice cream. It is vanilla ice cream with pieces of honeycomb toffee. It was amazing. I highly recommend trying it if you ever make it to New Zealand. My dad convinced me to also try the gumdrop ice cream, another New Zealand favorite. It is a bubblegum flavor ice cream with whole gumdrops in it. I am not a huge fan of anything bubblegum flavored, but this ice cream was great. This was a nice refreshing dessert to end the day. 

The most memorable part of this day however, was the walk home. It was completely dark and nice and cool. Me and Stuart exchanged questions about our respective countries and had some fun discussions while having our ice cream. When I think about the food I had in New Zealand, my mind immediately goes to the walk home from the dairy eating ice cream in the dark. Not only was it a fun moment, it was also a great introduction to some of the staple foods of New Zealand. 

Comments

  1. ZillesDecember 14, 2019 at 9:50 PM

    I too love walking around at night. There is something very calming about being outside after dark. I often go for bike rides long after dark and enjoy the night to its fullest extent. Trying foods of a different culture is also a very memorable experience and one that is all too often skipped over. Ice cream flavors seem like a very fun version of trying those cultural specialties. Thank you for sharing your wonderful experience, your blog did a great job of allowing me to visualize it in detail.

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  2. SJDecember 17, 2019 at 1:04 PM

    The international experience is so amazing. And its also nice to see appreciation for a dish outside of just its presentation or extravagance. There's genuine emotion behind it, and just thinking about these foods gives me second-hand happiness. There's also something about being in the dark with people you appreciate. The fact that sight is less and less important, and its more so just enjoying the presence of that person in other ways.

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