Silver Dipper is Purdue’s local ice cream shop, serving delicacies such as Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream made in Wisconsin (you know it’s the good stuff) and 41 other unique flavors. The most popular are; Zanzibar Chocolate, a rich chocolate ice cream made with three types of cocoa; Coconut Almond Bliss, an Almond Joy candy bar in ice cream form; and Zoreo, the birth child of Zanzibar and Oreo ice cream. If you can’t commit to one flavor, you can get three mini scoops for the same price as a regular scoop. The Silver Dipper is also nice enough to sell the Mini Monster, which is a mini scoop of every flavor. Yes, you heard me. Every. Single. Flavor.
You could say I’m the average ice cream lover, but I have a bottomless pit for a stomach and a HUGE sweet tooth (you can never have too many sweets!). With that being said, I’ve always wanted to do the Mini Monster challenge. This Saturday I finally got the courage to take on the challenge and brought a friend along for moral support, in case I needed it.
Photo by Varun Patil
Walking into Silver Dipper, I was overflowing with joy and anticipation. The shop was empty this particular afternoon,which was good for me, since there would be less people to judge my episode of indulgence. I confidently ordered the Mini Monster and awaited my fate. The scooper starts with the chocolate ice cream and forms a pyramid-like mound on a platter. The monster is intricately topped with sorbets and fruity flavors since they tend to melt faster.
Photo by Varun Patil
Side note: This is the size of the Mini Monster compared to a normal-sized banana. On a smaller scale, you can try this one ingredient banana ice cream recipe to fulfill that craving for now.
Photo by Varun Patil
With the timer set and a hot pink spoon as my weapon, I dug right in. My first bites were wonderful. Like a kid in a candy store, I tried as many flavors as I could. But…brain Freeze…only 2 minutes in. This was going to be harder than I thought. While recovering, I made a game plan to eat all the fruity flavors because I didn’t want them mixing with the chocolate. The joy of eating only the fruity ones didn’t last long, because the chocoholic in me simply couldn’t be satisfied. To make things a little more exciting, I decided to change flavors with every bite.
Photo by Varun Patil
1/8 of the way there, I realize I haven’t made much progress. The amount of ice cream I’m currently ingesting is starting to phase me, but I’m not discouraged by the mountain that still lies ahead. I ended up putting my coat on because the room suddenly felt like it was 20 degrees. I surprisingly enjoyed the Cotton Candy ice cream, which I thought would be too sweet based on the pink and blue pastel colors, but it was as tasty as I remember from my childhood. But Munchie Madness has taken the number one spot as my new favorite flavor. It is a cake batter ice cream intensified with caramel swirl, oreos, peanut butter cups and M&M’s. Another classic favorite I reconnected with was Superman. I’m pretty sure the Superman is just vanilla, but it tastes so much better only because it’s more colorful.
Photo by Varun Patil
1/2 way: I get my second wind. Maybe it’s because I reached the chocolate, but I’m enjoying myself way too much. I’m dancing and jamming out to the music playing- definitely feeling the effects of a sugar buzz. Right now, I am crazy enough to think I can finish another 20 scoops without a problem. Everyone can do that much, right?
Photo by Varun Patil
2/3 way and 31 minutes in my ice cream binge I started slowing down, but a bite of rich chocolate ice cream brought me back in. Chocolate Silk and Zanzibar are so dreamy I feel like I was in a Godiva chocolate commercial. The chocolate is definitely the best part and is totally worth it. It’s amazing how most of the ice cream hasn’t even melted yet. I make good progress with the chocolate and may or may not have had to resort to a little help….
Still determined to finish, I try to convince myself that what I ate wasn’t a lot of ice cream- I could do more! The cold is starting to bother me. Seriously, Are we in a freezer? I take a look back at the pictures and my lips are visibly purple. Great.
Five scoops left, I don’t think I can make it. I feel like I’m in a freezer. I’m shaking, but that could just be from the sugar high. Turns out it was a good idea to bring a friend for moral support. After almost giving up, he became the ultimate hype man and played, “Loose Yourself” by Eminem. The pep talk was much needed. I prevailed. After 45 minutes of struggling, I finally did it!
Aftermath:
Photo by Varun Patil
I feel dead. I don’t think I can move without getting sick, so I lie in the booth for a while. For the rest of the day, it was hard not to just lounge on the couch and bask in the uncomfortable satisfaction of an overpowering food coma.
Takeaways/ Pro tips:
1. I wish didn’t have to rush and could savor each flavor. In fear of the ice cream all melting together, I ate it as quickly as I could.
2. I didn’t like that my fruity flavors and creamy flavors mixed, but Silver Dipper cleverly puts the sorbets on top to minimize melting of the entire mountain.
3. Have water. Hydration is important and water breaks are needed.
4. Bring coats- eating ice cream makes you cold!
5. Have friends and people to enjoy the ice cream with you!
Gif courtesy of tumblr.com
If you want to go for it and try to eat all by yourself- go ahead. Individuals have done it before me and many will continue to do so, but having a team is completely okay too. At the end of the day, it’s not about the food- it’s about the memories you make with food. Ice cream is better shared with friends anyway.