I'm just sitting here finishing up a container of Haagen-Dazs "Sticky Toffee Pudding" ice cream, and decided to google it to see if there'd be any reviews. I couldn't find anything, but in the process, discovered a website called 2dips.com which appears to post on current events in the ice cream industry. Well, at the top of the page is the following about one of my favorites from Ben & Jerry's - their Black & Tan:
"I like the look and idea of this ice cream (even if Ben & Jerry's had to apologize for the name). I also like the execution, from the Black & Tan cow, to the cream stout "head," to the good looking scoops. It's a good taste. Not great, but still pretty good. It's not really a typical Ben & Jerry's flavor to me because there's no chunks of anything inside. I like the mix overall, but I wouldn't eat a lot of it; it works for what it is."
So, I appreciate this guys review - it's the "apologize for the name" part that I couldn't understand. Until I read this article. What the hell? Here's a snipit from the article, Black and Tan was "the nickname of a notoriously violent British militia that operated during Ireland’s war of independence." The article adds, "The Black and Tans, so-called because of their two-tone uniforms, were recruited in the early 1920s to bolster the ranks of the police force in Ireland as anti-British sentiment grew. They quickly gained a reputation for brutality and mention of the militia still arouses strong feelings in Ireland."
Ok, Ireland? Listen up. Get a fucking grip. This is god damned ice cream, and you KNOW what it's in reference too. BEER. Not some militia of British thugs from the 1920s for cryin out loud. The fact that the MENTION of the militia still "arouses strong feelings in Ireland" is proof enough that Ireland must not have enough going on. I mean, they ought to just start committing mass suicides right now. The fact that this ice cream is so insensitive is reason enough to kill yourself. Sure, sure... Ireland is apparently now one of the richest countries in the world. But instead of building mansions, buying expensive cars and LCD TVs and the like, the Irish spend their time stewing about some thugs from an era that most participants of are dead. Here's the kicker from that article, I guess written by bored Irish people:
"“I can’t believe that Ben & Jerry’s would be so insensitive to call an ice cream such a name and to launch it as a celebration of Irishness ... it’s an insult!” wrote one blogger on www.junkfoodblog.com. “I hope they don’t try to launch it here in Ireland or I imagine they’ll lose a lot of their fans.”"
Yes - fans of ice cream will be so upset about a flavor that clearly shows beer on the label, that they might get confused and think it's about British thugs. Especially an ice cream that isn't sold in Ireland. Damn... how insensitive! Now if they had only made "Ben & Jerry's Waffle-SS" or perhaps, "Ben & Jerry's Luftwaffe"? I mean, granted, "luftwaffe" just means "air force" and could just as easily mean British Luftwaffe, American Luftwaffe, and the like... but I mean, come on... wouldn't that be a great ice cream flavor? Or maybe "Ben & Jerry's Little German Chocolate Swastikas"?
