TEN GREAT FIRST DATES: GOING FOR ICE CREAM

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Some of you might think that going for ice cream is not much different from going for coffee on a first date. After all, you’re meeting over some kind of food and there are lots of great coffee places where you can people watch.

But listen to this: According to a recent study by Baskin-Robins a person’s choice of ice cream flavor says something about his or her personality.

For example, if you order vanilla you’re more likely to be impulsive, easily suggestible and an idealist. (Oh, my, one of my favorite flavors ).

A chocolate lover suggests a dramatic, lively, charming, flirtatious, seductive and gullible person. My second favorite ice cream flavor is the six types of chocolate at Ripples. Does that mean I’ve six times more drama and charm?

My first job when I turned sixteen was working selling soft ice-cream in my father’s store, Louis Luncheonette.

louis luncheonette

I loved that job. It was a place where I met all kinds of people and so it was only natural that my memory would have such positive connotations regarding ice-cream and that I would suggest it as a first date. Besides, who doesn’t like ice-cream?

But which ice cream parlor to go to?

The Dairy Queen was out of the question simply because I save it as my personal ritual into spring. I always choose a beautiful, sunny spring afternoon for my first chocolate dipped cone. The first one of the season is always the best. Isn’t that always the case?

Also, I wanted this first date ice cream choice to have some class to it. In other words –home-made ice cream.

My choice dwindled down to three ice cream parlors in my area. The first one is in the east end of fashionable Laurier Avenue called Bo-Bec.

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Here’s what an article in The Gazette (2012), Montreal’s daily English newspaper had to say about Bo-Bec.

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Choice number two was Kem CoBa on Fairmount Avenue. A cute store front where you can watch the owners make their ice-cream right in front of you and sit on colorful benches along with other ice cream fans. They have original flavors such as salted butter and their own soft ice cream, a combination of ice cream and sorbet:  apple and cinnamon or sour cherry sorbet and Almond Milk soft ice cream. Flavors like that for the adventurous taste buds.

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My final choice was Ripples on Boulevard Saint Laurent. It is a hole in the wall kind of parlor.

You can’t sit inside Ripples but there’s a bench outside facing Swartz’, the famous smoke meat place where tourists line up for hours.

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I chose the French Vanilla and my date chose Rainbow Sherbet. I made a mental note to check what his personality profile meant when I got back home, but so far the prospects weren’t looking that favorable. For one thing, he was a lot better looking and younger on his photo. And the t-shirt he was wearing already had stains on it and not from Rainbow Sherbet. My bet was if there’d have been a beer flavored ice cream he’d have chosen that one.

“Vanilla’s always boring. Are you a vanilla girl in bed?”

I ignored him. “You know a person who chooses vanilla ice cream tends to be an idealist,” I told him giving him the once over.

As we sat on the bench watching the line up in front of Schwartz’s I said, “Have you ever been there?”

“No,” he said. “Too touristy.”

“Do they make tombstones at that place next door?” he asked about the yard next to Ripples.

“Yup,” I said.

“Creepy.”

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“I don’t know,” I said. I told him about an interview I’d recently heard with Samuel Beam.

“Never heard of him.”

“His band goes by the name Iron and Wine.”

“I only listen to old sixties music.”

“Anyway,” I said taking another lick of my ice cream. I was getting in a hurry to finish it. “He said that the only three things that matter to write about are love, death and God. What do you think about that?”

“I’m an atheist,” my date said.

Even before we’d finished our ice creams I needed to move and suggested that we walk along Saint Laurent. I pointed out the Veille Europe, told him that when I was a kid my parents would come here to get their kielbasa.

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He didn’t seem interested until he saw a bar and asked me if I felt like having a drink.

“Ice cream always makes me thirsty,” he said.

It was two-thirty in the afternoon. The sun was shining. A fabulous fall day. I didn’t much feel like wasting the remainder of my afternoon drinking beer in a dark bar, even less being with him.

“No,” I said. “But you go ahead. I think I’ll head back home.”

He didn’t argue and I watched him walk into the bar by himself. I kind of felt sorry for him. But then I walked to where I’d left my bike passing by some interesting architecture and landmarks.

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I stopped at Kem CoBa and bought a pint of Madagascar vanilla to take home. I wonder if the type of bean makes a difference to one’s personality.

So this first date wasn’t so great. But it wouldn’t have been great anywhere except maybe some drinking hole. Where he could have got drunk. You can’t win them all. My writer friend, Thelma claims that, “Maybe the whole point (of dating) is to stop looking for romance and to just enjoy where you are, with whoever you’re with.” Or just to enjoy the ice cream, in my case.

When I got home I went on the Baskin-Robbins study and found out that Rainbow Sherbet indicated a pessimistic person.

Lesson to learn: One should always ask what their favorite flavor of ice cream is before accepting a date.

I then listened to this and thought that in my case, ice cream was better. At least this time.

56 thoughts on “TEN GREAT FIRST DATES: GOING FOR ICE CREAM”

  2. I enjoyed this post – but it made me HUNGRY. I am starting to see there’s a common theme in this blog – first dates AND food! And that’s great. Even if the date doesn’t work out, you can always eat (or plan to eat). It seems like a just reward for having the courage to take a chance with a stranger.

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    • It was also a lot of fun learning about the personality study. You’re right when you say that one must have courage to take a chance with a stranger and so my idea of these first dates is to make them as enjoyable as possible. You can’t count on these dates to find the love of your life. You always hope you do and that’s why you keep going out and if it turns out badly at least you didn’t feel like you wasted your time.

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  4. Thanks, Laurent. I know this kind of date never would have happened with you. You have too much class! Besides, you’d have probably wanted to make your own ice cream.And it would have been yummy!

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  6. Easy exits – I like that. Nice post, and photos. My favorite of the Dates series so far. BTW what exactly is “a vanilla girl … ” Oh, never mind. Actually I’m partial to chocolate shops myself. But either is preferable to the dinner, which, as you point out, can be a risky policy for a first date.

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    • Thanks so much for reading…I like that post as well…and the video that goes with it.
      FYI (even if you don’t want it) vanilla girl is boring, nothing special, regular.
      Hope you’re having a sunny day 🙂

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  8. Delightful and intriguing post, Carol–thank you. I agree with you and Thelma-first dates, and subsequent ones, centered around good food are a terrific idea. Not only can you learn a lot about your date, but also you have the pleasure of the tasty food and surrounding conviviality no matter how the other person turns out to be. I am now going to check out the Baskin Robbins test–thanks for the cool tip. Shine on, xo

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  9. Beautifully written, Carol, I really enjoyed this a lot. I think you cut to the chase much more efficiently by going out for ice cream than say dinner or a bar. And you both simply moved on at the end. And I love the photo and memories of your Dad’s luncheonette. 🙂

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  10. Wish I could eat it …. being lactose intolerant prohibits me from doing so. Hmmm! What’s that say about me, she wonders? But that’s not to say that I don’t have a bite now and then ….. Häagen-Dazs Dulce de Leche is my favorite.

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  13. This was a great post and I agree with this suggestion, Carol. I wrote a few posts when I started my blog which told some do’s and don’ts but the main one was make it a quick moment, a coffee or an ice cream cone were in my thoughts. I have had some ‘bad’ dates but meals are not always easy to get out of. I did get a taxi once to leave a bigoted man holding the bill. I managed to go to the restroom, whispered to get the server to bring me my meal to go and never told him a word. It was THAT bad! Smiles, Robin

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      • I know I am behind in reading your reply. So sorry, Carol. Once Easter ends, Spring begins and everyone and their neighbor buys auto parts. We get a lot of long days and overtime where I work (Advance Auto Parts Distribution Center.)
        I felt it was the way he was loudly speaking and in a bigoted way. I was both embarrassed and appalled. Smiles for understanding he deserved it, Carol!

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  15. Hi,
    I know Cyndy Knoke. Would yogurt work instead of ice-cream? I could still see what personality he has by the yogurt flavor he orders. I am actually writing a post about newly dating after marriage. A coincidence!
    Thank you for your recent visit to my site. I’m glad you liked my “For New Subscribers” Page. Are you interested in blogging tips? I have 180 blogging tip articles about engaging readers and increasing traffic. If you go through the link, you only get apprised once a week, and you get a free incentive for signing up. Nice to meet you. I will certainly be more cognizant the next time someone orders an ice cream flavor =).
    Janice

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    • Hi Janet,

      Nice to meet you as well…
      Cindy’s blog is dynamite! I’m a bit slow in answering my messages because I’m actually on a blogging sabbatical. 🙂
      Thanks for telling me about your post and I am most interested in blogging tips. Who isn’t?

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      • Hi again,
        How did the blogging sabbatical go? I took a month off to tour Europe with my husband and I sorely missed it. At least I got networking in. Thank you so much for following my blog. We connected over Cindy Knoke and yogurt vs. ice cream =). Welcome!
        Janice

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      • Hi Janice,
        I’m still on the sabbatical but as you can see I continue to check in. It’s hard to break away completely.
        Cindy has such a fantastic blog and with so many followers I don’t know how she keeps up. Blogging is very enriching but also can be very time consuming. Taking a sabbatical has given me break but I am looking forward to returning to it in August.
        Carol

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  18. I agree, ice cream flavors probably say more about one’s personality than does coffee. You think? Thank you to for introducing me to Bo Bec, probably a Canadian franchise as I’m not familiar with it here in the states.

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    • I never really thought about ice cream flavours related to personality until I did this post. Bo Bec’s not really a franchise. It’s a mom and pop type of shop. You guys in the States are big on ice cream shops. I love them! 🙂

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  20. Bonjour ou Bonsoir CAROL

    Quand je suis de passage sur ton blog

    Je le regarde et j’aperçois une grande lumière

    Je me dis que sur celui-ci, j’ai une personne

    avec de la gentillesse dans le cœur

    Cette amitié est pour moi un paysage

    Où on y viens qui efface les moindres petits nuages

    L’amitié ce n’est pas un feu de bois, loin de là

    C’est de partager ensemble

    Des moments intenses de toute beauté

    Merci à toi, d’être là

    C’est un pur bonheur rempli de douceur

    Passe une belle journée ou une belle soirée

    Bisous , Bernard

    ​

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  23. Wonderful post Carol. You are so entertaining in an easy and relaxed way. I love your story about getting to love ice-cream and then going on to ice-cream personalities.:) what a brilliant idea to have an ice-cream date, especially in summer. Your irc-cream date was quite hilarious.
    Great photos too
    miriam

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  24. How cool to have your parents own a place that sold ice cream! Daytime icecream sounds much better than dinner – imagine being stuck with him for a whole meal….

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  25. I enjoyed learning of your experience. You know doubt made the right decision – about the date and the ice cream. Many people don’t pick up easily on clues and to me that’s a first clue to be cautious of future relationships. Anyway, I love all flavors, so what does that say about me? I typically eat vanilla now since chocolate makes me cough. I have a little allergy – bummer. I do “fudge” now and then though. Another of my favorites is caramel swirl, as an alternative to chocolate. Thanks for the insight about the ice cream. I’ll be more aware! 🙂

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  29. A very dear and very human post! I aspire to the wisdom of your friend Thelma — “Maybe the whole point (of dating) is to stop looking for romance and to just enjoy where you are, with whoever you’re with.” Glad you were able to enjoy the ice cream despite your un-promising company.

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  32. The post is sweet and thoughtful. My favorite ice cream is whatever flavor I’m having, often one I’ve never had before.

    I’d never head this Sarah MacLachlan number before. Perfect!

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