Get that ice cream, now

Go on and revel in the sinful flavours — until you’re finally declared a diabetic

September 03, 2017 12:01 am | Updated 12:01 am IST

Illustration: Deepak Harichandan

Illustration: Deepak Harichandan

It’s often said, life is like an ice cream, taste it before it melts. Indeed, bask in the bliss of ice cream-eating before it gets too late!

Being a diabetic, the temptations that I face regularly are terrible. The depressing fact is that it’s almost impossible to find sugar-free ice creams that match the taste of the regular ones.

I love my visits to the United States, but the sheer variety of ice creams available there makes me apprehensive nowadays. The Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip ice cream of Cincinnati, dense and delicious, spread with fresh black raspberry puree and drizzled with dark chocolate, is a heavenly treat! Humphry Slocombe of San Francisco combines childhood and adult favourites, cornflakes and bourbon. The cornflakes are baked into crisp cookies, only to be folded with ice cream that is infused with vanilla and bourbon.

The ever-so-popular banana split with its scoops of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry ice cream, drizzled with colourful sauces (chocolate, strawberry and pineapple), then topped with heaps of roughly chopped walnuts, golden fried cashewnuts and slices of almonds, and all this crowned by Maraschino cherries. As if these were not enough, one could help oneself to more chopped fruits that are caramelised, glazing beauties urging to be quickly grabbed. Not only the banana split but my heart splits to pieces when my family forbids me from eating it! As a diabetic today, I can do nothing but pretend to look elsewhere when others are experiencing spiritual joy. Actually, deep within me I am thinking of nothing but the dessert! Thank god I manage to resist my craving with my vigilant son around.

I can hear the readers murmur — why does she want to hang around these ice cream parlours at all? But my sob story continues in India too with tubs of ice cream brought home, and my challenge begins! Guests at home in India are always synonymous with family packs of well-known brands of ice creams. And what with the ever-available combo offers, one is always getting several flavours in one go. There is a wide variety — vanilla, strawberry, pista, butterscotch, chocolate and casatta are just a few names that cross my mind. My creativity overtakes me as I excitedly present the different flavours colourfully, mixing and matching them to make them look divine.

But danger lurks at dessert time after dinner when I heap the huge, decorative glass cups of the guests with the rainbow-coloured ice cream. I succumb to the temptation and end up eating at least a small cup of forbidden pleasure.

Yes, I know, I know. Many readers are now thinking of the different brands of sugar-free ice creams. But I rush to emphatically state that nowhere in India or in America have I tasted the perfect tasting sugar-free ice cream.

They can be called poor relatives with their peculiar taste which is neither sweet nor bland! It would be better to stay away from eating ice cream altogether. And not to forget the ever-worrying family about the genuineness of the so-called sugar-free ice cream — is it really healthy?

What’s added in it? Hope the cholesterol content is not high?

That’s why I say, “Live for today and make it so beautiful that it’s worth remembering” Enjoy eating your ice creams till you can, and don’t waste time worrying about calories! Walk, run or jog; but don’t miss your ice creams — until you’re finally declared a diabetic.

natsujan@gmail.com

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.