Even as the pandemic wanes (sort of—get vaccinated!) and we put the political strife of 2020 in the review mirror (wait, actually…), there’s still plenty to be upset about each and every day. So let’s put our combined anxiety aside and agree on one thing: Ice cream is best enjoyed when eaten from a coffee mug.
Listen up, bowl people: you need the high sides of a mug to properly scoop the ice cream onto your spoon. Bowl walls are too low, and cause you to push your ice cream around and around, never to deliver it to your hungry mouth. Also, the mug handle keeps your body heat away from the frozen treat, delaying its melting.
Speaking of melting, once your ice cream finally becomes liquid, I’ve got good news for you! It’s already in a cup! So you can easily just tip the mug back and drink your newly formed soup. Or better yet (as another Joel suggested), add some coffee to it and now you have a whole new beverage—with less cleanup.
It’s the best way to eat ice cream—at home
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I must caveat this universal truth by pointing out that cones are great, but 1) on a hot summer day, the ice cream will melt and inevitably run all over your hand, and anyway, 2) cones are best when purchasing ice cream from a small shop. This mug rule is for enjoying ice cream at home. Boxes of store-bought cones are never as good as the ones you get from a soda fountain, served by a counter attendant in a fun paper hat. (This is my idealized version of 1950s suburbia.)
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Finally, nothing says “Fun!” like eating out of a mug. It represents sleepovers, movie nights, and snuggling time. It’s the perfect casual vessel to say “I’m just going to have a little midnight snack, but I don’t have much of a sweet tooth”… and then allows you to eat 12 ounces of gelato by yourself.
This article was originally published in August 2020 and updated on June 21, 2021 to align with current Lifehacker style guidelines, and because it’s summer, damnit.