I had to laugh when I came back from Vermont last Saturday, and found this article in "The New Yorker." We had just visited the Ben and Jerry's ice cream factory, and now the company is being asked to come up with a library-themed ice cream flavor! It's one of those weird coincidences.
I'll tell you more about my trip, and share photos, next week (sorry for not getting to it this week), but today I just want to tell you a little bit about Ben and Jerry's. I'm willing to pay a little bit more for their ice cream and frozen yogurt because it's a company that I know I can trust.
You don't have to take a look at their three-part mission statement to know how much this company cares about people and the planet. All you really have to do is look at their ingredient labels. Their products don't contain all of the potentially harmful chemicals that many other ice cream products do.
You should also know that if your child has a food allergy, it's not a problem. Even though the products are made on shared equipment, it is sterilized after each batch, or flavor, is manufactured. We learned during the factory tour that the technology is so advanced that no traces of allergens remain. If you have a severe allergy, I would confirm this fact with the company yourself, though...
We saw the factory in action, and it is meticulously maintained. Not only that, but if you have a food allergy and buy ice cream from the factory or other Ben and Jerry's ice cream shop, they will open a new container for you. This way, there is no chance that the ice cream scoop used is contaminated with allergens.
If you visit the Ben and Jerry's web site, you could win a trip to the October Red Carpet Premiere of the movie, Where the Wild Things Are. You can view the movie trailer here. I'm sure that you're familiar with the classic picture book, but it's a great idea to read it again before you see the movie. It's great to be able to compare the version in your mind with the version on the screen!
You can find out more about the company, their flavors, and even create one of your own flavors here.
What's your favorite flavor? If you had one named after you, what would you call it? You can ask your children, too!
Oh, and can you think of any other library-themed flavors?
I hope you have a sweet weekend...