The following question was sent to us via the “Ask Ernie” link on the right. Below is the original question, followed by Ernie’s answer, and a follow-up email. This exchange was a big hit with everyone here at the Dairy, and many of the husbands and wives here can relate to our reader’s dilemma. Enjoy!
CHARLIE F. FROM WINSLOW, NJ WRITES: Ernie, My wife is currently pregnant with our first child, a boy, and everything is going great. Except, she craves ice cream morning, noon and night! The only things she’ll eat are Graham Slam, Chocolate Marshmallow, and Strawberries & Cream. I must buy at least a gallon of each a day, and sometimes I’m running to the grocery store at 11:00 at night to buy more – and there’s never any left for me! My wallet is running on empty and she refuses to eat anything else. What can I do to curb her sweet tooth? Is Turkey Hill hiring so I can afford to keep up with her habit? Is my son going to be born part ice cream? Help!
ERNIE WRITES:
That’s quite a dilemma you’ve got there, Charlie!
Food cravings during pregnancy are mysterious things. Several studies have been unable to explain exactly why women crave certain foods when they’re pregnant, though some suggest that women crave foods that help compensate for certain vitamins and nutrients their bodies are lacking. In this case, your wife might be yearning for calcium (and for you to prove your devotion to her by making late night ice cream runs).
As for curbing her sweet tooth, having been in this situation myself, I’d advise you not to try to intervene too much. An expectant mother who’s unable to satisfy her cravings can create all sorts of other problems and I won’t be able to help you with those.
To eliminate the late night ice cream trips, you might consider keeping a few “emergency” pints of Turkey Hill ice cream in the back of the freezer, just in case you run out halfway through the nightly news and you’re already in your pajamas.You may choose to hide or disguise the pints to preserve their “emergencies only” status, but if she finds out you’re hiding ice cream from her, I can’t be held responsible for the results.
To answer your question about potentially working at Turkey Hill, you’re in luck, because we are hiring at the moment. We’re looking for a 2nd Shift Freezer Team Leader and a 2nd Shift Lift Operator. If you’re interested, feel free to email your resume to careers@turkeyhill.com, though I suspect the commute to Lancaster County from Winslow, NJ might be troublesome for you.
In the meantime, I’ll send you some coupons for some free ice cream to help ease the financial burden until your son arrives. (What’s your address?) I only ask that you consider — just consider — naming him Ernie. It’s a good name if you give it a chance.
Finally, I can assure you, although I’m not a doctor, that your son will not be born part ice cream. However, he might be born with his mother’s intense craving for ice cream. This craving could follow him for the rest of his life, but I suppose there are worse things to be addicted to. Actually, I’m beginning to wonder how much ice cream my own mother ate when she was pregnant with me. That would explain a lot.
Hope this helps. Keep me posted and let me know how things turn out!
Best,
Ernie
CHARLIE’S RESPONSE: My wife found your e-mail first, because we share an account – but luckily she thought it was funny!
Actually, your theory that she’s craving calcium makes a lot of sense. She’s always been on the petite side, never drinks milk, and when we first found out she was pregnant, the doctor also noted she had a calcium deficiency problem. So I guess all of that ice cream is doing her and my son some good, eh? I’ll definitely take your advice to store some extra ice cream in the freezer; I have a freezer in the basement where I store our wholesale purchases, so I can easily hide it in there and bring it out when needed – and maybe keep some to myself as well. Perhaps I should start an ice cream reserve, if her ice cream habit is going to cause her sweet tooth to be passed to our child..
Thank you for answering my question with so much information, it’s greatly appreciated. And I would love to take you up on your offer for some coupons, I really appreciate it. I can use any break I get financially, especially since the majority of my income is going either to baby gear or ice cream at this point!
And I’ve added Ernie to our list of potential baby names – I’m not sure how receptive my wife will be, but if she hears you’re sending over some coupons for ice cream, we may have a little Ernie Jr. running around our home in three months. Thank you again, your generosity is just another reason why I don’t really mind spending so much money with Turkey Hill – you don’t find many companies with an ethic like Turkey Hill around anymore, that’s for sure!
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If you’ve got a technical question about the ice cream making process or some other inquiry about the nuances of America’s favorite treat, chances are Ernie has the answer. He might not be able to answer all questions, but he’ll try his best and some may be featured on the Ice Cream Journal.
