dang, I love FunDip!

Unless you grew up out in the country, you probably had an ice cream man.
Almost every day in the summer, just as I was getting all hot and sweaty playing diaper tag or something, I'd hear that faint sound in the distance. Usually "The Entertainer." Every kid in the street immediately dropped whatever they were doing and made a mad dash to their front doors to beg their moms for some money. How much would she give you...enough for a Ninja Turtle ice cream bar with gumball eyes? Enough for a screwball, or maybe FunDip or a Chipwich?? Or would you just have to settle for a Twinpop this time?

Our ice cream man was named Bob, and he was Jamaican. I'm pretty sure I'm not making this up. We were such frequent customers that he used to give us free Frooties (you know, the different flavored Tootsie Rolls). We actually had a little more time to run inside for money, cause when we heard the bells, we knew he was at the Atholton pool and would be there awhile as all the kids stopped him. We had his route memorized by heart. It was familiar, one of those classic suburban neighborhood features tht everyone knew. He was the Ice Cream Man - a sacred and trustworthy social role.

But I was thinking...is there any sort of accreditation organization for ice cream truck drivers? Is there any way to keep random people from driving around selling poisoned ice cream to young children? We tell kids Never accept any food from strangers! Stay away from strangers' cars! Don't even talk to strangers! Unleessss of course they have a bell and a big freezer in the back of a truck and spend their time soliciting money from small children. Hmmm. I mean, I'm sure you have to have a license to sell ice cream from a truck or something. But is there any way to know for sure if your ice cream man/lady is legit?

In my sister's neighborhood, there's a shady ice cream man who drives around late at night after it's dark. I'm pretty sure it's safe to say he's not only selling ice cream.

There's more drama in this industry than you knew about.

Don't get me wrong, if I'm fortunate enough to have an ice cream truck in my neighborhood, I will definitely let my kids buy from it. I'll even splurge for a TV character with gumball eyes every now and then.