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In Bad Taste (News Article – (2017)

Free Ice Cream Samples Are the Scourge of Our Nation, and Someone Must Stop It

In bad taste. Laurie Notaro

I have thought about running for public office with a platform of only one issue:

outlawing tastes.

I hate tasters.

I’m not afraid to say it. Tasting has gotten completely out of hand, particularly at

ice cream joints. It isn’t simply a hindrance anymore, it’s become a plague. A

pandemic of dirty little spoons still slick with the DNA of gluttons in their wells.

It’s an offer that’s become a habit turned into demand, and someone needs to

stop it.

NO MORE TASTES.

Perhaps you are one of those who enjoys asking for a sample of Brown Butter

Sage ice cream simply to say you’ve experienced the delight, only to move on to

Hazelnut Pine Sol Sorbet to brag that you’ve been there, then scale the peak of

Blueberry Sawdust Swirl because no one else has the balls. Enough is enough.

You suck.

Here’s the problem: It’s become so acceptable to ask for tastes that it is sucking

Here’s the problem: It’s become so acceptable to ask for tastes that it is sucking

up valuable time out of the lives of the people who aren’t selfish. If you really

have nothing better to do with your time than spend it eating ice cream that you

don’t want, congratulations, you need more friends. I’ve timed tastes. They range

from a minute to two minutes on the average, varying in length depending on

the self-absorption rate of the Taster. They have to scan the case because they

were too busy doing nothing while they were waiting on line instead of doing

prep work. Then they make a decision, the server gets the sample, and

undoubtedly, UNDOUBTEDLY, the Taster pauses for three to 10 seconds after

ingesting the taste to ponder as to what comment they will make about the

sample, as if it’s more necessary than a “thank you.”

Then they need to talk about the sample to the server for what could be an

indeterminate amount of time. I actually once had a chin hair gestate in a follicle,

break the surface, and grow long enough to catch the light while a jerk debated

the flavor profile of two grams of Pear and Bleu Cheese ice cream as if he was

talking about end-of-life measures.

In other words, the server spends around three hours and thirty

minutes servicing INDECISION during every eight-hour shift. That

is bullshit.

I’ve done my research. Yesterday, I went to the ice cream shop that has the

highest repeat offender Taster rate in town and asked questions. Apparently, men

ask for the fewest samples, and when they do, they know what they want.

Women, on the other hand, will typically ask for more than one sample before

they make up their mind and often don’t know which sample they want first. The

server I spoke to, an affable, happy young woman, said she gave out

approximately 100 samples in a day. IN A DAY. Many people ask for upward of

four tastes. In other words, the server spends around three hours and 30

minutes servicing INDECISION during every eight-hour shift.

That is bullshit. That’s also a cumulative chunk of time people behind the Tasters

That is bullshit. That’s also a cumulative chunk of time people behind the Tasters

are waiting in line when they shouldn’t be. These are people on their lunch

hours, who have scoliosis, have itchy mosquito bites and have just enough time

to grab a scoop of sugar-free sweet cream ice cream and shove it into their purse

before their movie starts. But instead, a woman with enough children to start her

own preschool gets to the door before you do, and then encourages them all to

ask for tastes as she preps them to grow into the big piggies they will

undoubtedly become.

And someone has to see her movie without a scoop of sugar-free sweet cream

ice cream because seven preschoolers don’t know what strawberry tastes like.

Why are we tolerating this? Why are we letting little children prevent us from

sneaking ice cream into a movie? Is there any other place we’d allow this? Do I

request a slice from a pizza place before I order a pie? Do I ask my doctor for a

sample of Klonopin before I make an appointment? Sure, you can get free tastes

at a winery, but that’s only to sauce you up so you spend far more money than

you had planned; there’s a return on that investment.

When I was a kid, if I asked for a taste of rainbow sherbet at

Thrifty, a retiree with arthritis with a scooper in his gnarled hand

would have said, “Do you know what rainbow sherbet tastes like,

little girl? It tastes like RAINBOW SHERBET.

I know one thing: When I was a kid, if I asked for a taste of rainbow sherbet at

Thrifty, a retiree with arthritis with a scooper in his gnarled hand would have

said, “Do you know what rainbow sherbet tastes like, little girl? It tastes like

RAINBOW SHERBET. Do you know what vanilla ice cream tastes like? VANILLA.

What do you think it tastes like, clouds and magic? And you want it for FREE?

You disgust me. Now go and get your mother because I want to yell at her, too.”

But instead, in today’s world, we get tastes. For free. We teach our children to ask

for free treats like they were Dickensian characters, and we waste everyone else’s

for free treats like they were Dickensian characters, and we waste everyone else’s

time. But let it be known, guy expounding on the notes of Blueberry Sawdust

Swirl, that I know your face. I have memorized all of the faces. And the day you

get in behind me in line at the ATM, and it will happen, will be the most glorious

day of all.

LAURIE NOTARO | NOVEMBER 14, 2017 | 6:00AM

©2018 Phoenix New Times, LLC. All rights reserved.

Vegan Dark Chocolate Sauce

We aims to please, and so when enough folks quipped that our in-store homemade vegan dark chocolate sauce topping was so delicious that we ought to bottle it, we did just that!

Now available in 10.5oz bottles. You can pick up a bottle or two from either of our retail scoop shops, as well as Berkeley Bowl (East and West) and Berkeley and El Cerrito Natural Grocers.

We are hoping to follow this up with the bottling of our vegan caramel sauce. Stay tuned…

We Mean to be Green!

Mr. Dewie’s enjoys offering a superior product to our customers. We do this by sourcing and using the best, healthiest, and whenever possible, local ingredients. In addition to providing ice creams that are creamy and delicious, we are also a green company and take seriously the importance of doing our part for the environment. This means that when you walk into any of our scoop shops, we use only compostable materials to serve our delicious treats! In fact, we only offer compost bins, and not garbage cans, inside of our shops.

 
From our fiber serving bowls and lids, to our wooden serving spoons, paper napkins and paper straws, Mr. Dewie’s is proud to do our part to keep more waste out of our landfill.

You’ll even notice that we serve ALL of our samples to you on chilled, metal, tasting spoons for continuous re-use!

 

 

Made from surplus sugarcane and wheat straw agricultural fiber. Grease and cut resistant. Microwave and freezer safe. Conforms to FDA guidelines for food use. Usable for foods up to 200 degrees F.

Sustainable replacement for plastic, Styrofoam, and paper disposables. Composts in 1-3 months in a commercial composting system (ASTM D-6400 and BPI certified).

The Float

An ice cream float or ice cream soda (United States, United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa and East Asia), coke float (United Kingdom and Southeast Asia), or spider (Australia and New Zealand), is a chilled beverage that consists of ice cream in either a soft drink or in a mixture of flavored syrup and carbonated water. When root beer and ice cream are used together to make the beverage, it is typically referred to as a root beer float.

The ice cream float was invented by Robert McCay Green in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1874 during the Franklin Institute’s semicentennial celebration. The traditional story is that, on a particularly hot day, Mr. Green ran out of ice for the flavored drinks he was selling and used vanilla ice cream from a neighboring vendor, thus inventing a new drink.

His own account, published in Soda Fountain magazine in 1910, states that while operating a soda fountain at the celebration, he wanted to create a new treat to attract customers away from another vendor who had a fancier, bigger soda fountain. After some experimenting, he decided to combine ice cream and soda water. During the celebration, he sold vanilla ice cream with soda water and a choice of 16 different flavored syrups. The new treat was a sensation and soon other soda fountains began selling ice cream floats.

Well, Mr. Dewie’s has recently teamed up with Alameda Point Craft Sodas to create our own Root Beer Float.

We are beginning with our cashew vanilla ice cream as a traditional flavor, however we will likely be introducing other combinations such as a Ginger Float using AP Craft’s Ginger Beer poured over two scoops of our Turmeric Spice cashew ice cream!

The Root Beer float is now being served in our Albany retail location and offered in our custom glass take-home barrel. 

The Cashew Tree

The cashew tree (Anacardium occidentale) is a tropical evergreen tree that produces the cashew seed and the cashew apple. It can grow as high as 14 m (46 ft), but the dwarf cashew, growing up to 6 m (20 ft), has proved more profitable, with earlier maturity and higher yields.

The species is originally native to northeastern Brazil. Portuguese colonists in Brazil began exporting cashew nuts as early as the 1550s. Major production of cashews occurs in Vietnam, Nigeria, India, and Ivory Coast.

The cashew nut, often simply called a cashew, is widely consumed. It is eaten on its own, used in recipes, or processed into cashew cheese or cashew butter. The shell of the cashew seed yields derivatives that can be used in many applications including lubricants, waterproofing, paints, and arms production, starting in World War II. The cashew apple is a light reddish to yellow fruit, whose pulp can be processed into a sweet, astringent fruit drink or distilled into liquor.

Cashews make for an amazing snack that could help reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. Research also points to the benefits of cashews on your skin and hair, and even your nerves, due to their powerful micronutrient content. Learn about cashews’ nutritional benefits, and how to select the most healthful nuts.

A single cashew contains about 21 percent protein, 46 percent fat, and 25 percent carbohydrates. A one-quarter cup serving contains about 200 calories, 5 grams of protein, 9 grams of carbs, and 16 grams of fat. Cashews possess a healthy balance of fat types — 62 percent of the cashew’s fats are monounsaturated fat (MUFAs),  while 18 percent are polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs). While many nuts possess high levels of polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs), which promote inflammation, cashews have relatively low amounts of PUFAs, which limits the imbalance of omega-6’s to omega-3’s you’re exposed to. Due to these MUFAs and PUFAs, cashew consumption leads to lower risk for a variety of diseases – including cancer, obesity, and heart disease.

What are cashews’ nutritional benefits?

  1.     Protects against cancer: Cashews are brimming with proanthocyanidins, a type of flavanol that starves tumors and prevents cancer cells from dividing.
  2.    Cuts heart disease risk: The oleic acid found in cashews promotes sound cardiovascular health by reducing triglyceride levels, which is associated with heart disease risk.
  3.     Improves bone and joint health: Cashews’ magnesium and copper content work in concert to strengthen bone mass. Most of the magnesium in your body is stored in the bones, so if you’re deficient, your bones will suffer. Copper helps keep bones and joints flexible by synthesizing collagen and elastin.
  4.     Relaxes nerves: Magnesium in cashews prevents calcium from over-activating nerve cells, therefore relaxing them. This action keeps your blood vessels and muscles relaxed as well. (You may notice that if your magnesium levels are low, you often get muscle cramps.)
  5.     Keeps skin and hair healthy: The copper in cashews helps to manufacture various enzymes involved in hemoglobin and collagen formation. Collagen is the main structural protein found in hair and skin that gives it elasticity – so you can think of copper as one of the precursors to your luscious locks.
  6.     Aids in weight loss and maintenance: Cashews contain less fat than other popular nuts including peanuts, pecans, almonds, and walnuts. Yet what makes them a winning “weight loss nut” is that they are nutrient- and energy-dense, and high in fiber, which makes them more filling — a boon for managing weight.
  7.   Prevents diabetes: Most recently, a study found that cashews reduced systolic blood pressure and increased HDL cholesterol concentrations in people with diabetes.

The Brouhaha on Cold Brew – Another “Local Flavor”

When it’s too hot outside to sip a hot caffeinated beverage, much less hold it, you’re more likely to choose a cold cup of java for your morning jolt or afternoon pick-me-up. Well, Mr. Dewie’s has teamed up with Timeless Coffee (Berkeley & Oakland) to offer another option:

Mr. Dewie’s “Cold Brew” Cashew Ice Cream! That’s right, not just cold brew, but frozen cold brew!

You’ve seen this cold brew coffee trend the last several years, but what makes cold brew coffee so special anyway?

First and foremost, cold brew has a stronger and more intense flavor than hot coffee. The method for making this delicious high end drink entails brewing in cold (or room temperature) water, rather than hot water. Shocker, we know. But there’s much more to it. Let’s delve into the details of this popular drink, in the hope to entice you to get over to Mr. Dewie’s and give the really cold “Dew-Brew” a try.

Cold brew is created by steeping medium-to-coarse ground coffee in room temperature water for 12 hours or longer and then filtering out the grounds for a clean cup without sediment.  Unlike regular coffee, cold brew is never exposed to heat. Cold brew uses time, rather than heat to extract the coffee’s oils, sugars, and caffeine. Iced coffee is created like any regular hot coffee brew method. It’s simply hot coffee that has been cooled down so that it can be poured over ice.

Pouring day-old cold coffee left in the pot over a handful of ice cubes is not iced coffee — at least, not optimal iced coffee. Letting brewed coffee sit around for awhile causes it to oxidize, making the flavor go bitter, flat, and otherwise funky.

Cold brew coffee is for those who plan ahead. It’s a long, gradual process, that can take up to 24 hours, like making sun tea, only without the sun. The result is a very smooth, rich infusion, with low levels of acidity, which can be a relief to those with sensitive digestive systems. But this process can flatten a coffee’s taste, leaving behind the nuances of properly ice-brewed coffee, which some describe as a full-bodied, Guinness-type mouthfeel. The upside: The cold-brew process, while it takes time, is less fiddly than ice brewing — basically, you just set it up and walk away till it comes time to strain the concentrate.

So, while it’s sunny outside, and while we still have some of this truly refreshing and intensely coffee flavored special available, hurry in and try some of our really cold coffee concoction!

Local Flavors

Mr. Dewie’s is teaming up with local businesses to create unique and delicious new cashew ice cream flavors!

The Bay Area is well known for it’s innovative and cutting edge foods, most of which are healthy and delicious, and made simply with quality ingredients. Over the last year or so, we have begun partnering with a few of these innovators, and have combined efforts to create new and fun creamy cashew delights. The results, so far, have been fantastic!

 

Last winter we brought you our “Hot TCHOcolate” made from our cashew milk and TCHO Chocolate’s dark chocolate cocoa powder. Why did we choose TCHO?

TCHO Chocolate is based in Berkeley, CA, and, like Mr. Dewie’s, theybelieve in sourcing high quality ingredients, fair hiring practices, and sustainability.

TCHO’s business model is built on the foundation of sourcing the best ingredients in a fashion that benefits farmers and creates a delicious chocolate. They strive to treat their growers fairly, source ethically, and reduce their environmental impact. They have done so in part by building TCHO flavor labs directly in the farming communities to help educate the farmers and researchers on best practices.The proof, as they say, is in the pudding – Once you try TCHO chocolate you’ll understand!

 

Next up was to make a truly memorable Espresso flavor with our friends at Tartine’s Coffee Manufactory out of Oakland, CA.

Tartine became known as the place to go for the best bread and pastry in the city, but they began to notice a trend. Some of their most loyal customers began bringing their own coffee to the shop. When asked why, the reply was simple: “You have the best food, but your coffee is only mediocre.” Well, that didn’t sit right with them. They didn’t believe in serving anything to their guests that didn’t meet their standards. So in 2017, in collaboration with their dear friend Chris Jordan (a coffee legend and former head of Global Coffee Quality at Starbucks), they partnered to serve a new brand of coffee, and the Coffee Manufactory was born. Last month, using their Espresso 01 bean, we created an exceptionally rich, and intensely flavored ice cream special that sold out…and just a bit too quickly! Don’t worry, we’ve got more coffee creativity on the way…

 

In keeping with the local chocolatier spirit, we have worked closely with our new friends at OCHO Candy in Oakland to create a very simple, but delectable new flavor called OCHO COCO CHOCO! (Try saying that 10 times fast)

The brilliant staff at OCHO Candy has been such a generous, thoughtful, and involved partner in the making of this new flavor, and we can’t thank them enough. When we reached out to Scott Kucirek, the CEO of the company, he welcomed us with open arms, and immediately grabbed onto the idea of the partnership. The result is OCHO’s chocolate coconut candy bar chunks swirled into our Mr. Dewie’s coconut ice cream – OCHO COCO CHOCO! And, so far, it has been a big hit with our customers.

Through this process we have come to understand that not only does OCHO make the best tasting candy bars in the market, but they use only the best ingredients and are considered top of the line in the organic candy bar industry! The first time we bit into one of their peanut butter chocolate candy bars, we knew that we were in for something special! In addition to the peanut butter and coconut bars, they also make caramel infused bars, and have some cool variations on the way.

We suggest that you hurry into one of our two shops to pick up some of this special ice cream, as these flavors move fast!