Kids play space + Blue Marble Ice Cream at 186 Underhill

Subject: Re: Expensive

sterling2000 wrote: Or, the ones I saw in Mt. Prospect Park this past weekend in the powered kid-sized Hummer?

Easy on the Hummer....that's the only zero-emission/plug-in SUV operating in this neighborhood. I wish there were more.

I can't believe it took until page 2 for this thread to turn into a class/race/etc. argument.

WhyFi wrote: [quote=Whatchuwant]You cannot say that there isn't a line- there is.

I think that Sterling's point isn't that there is no line, I think that he's pointing out that the line isn't black and white... or chocolate and vanilla, as the case may be.

Ok, fine. But when anyone says "black kid" around here they get slammed. Are there fancy black kids around here? I guess so, but they are not the majority. Are there fancy white kids? More than black kids, I suspect.

Subject: ice cream

Sterling---I'm sure that you're smart enough to get my point. There are large numbers of kids in this neighborhood---let me be specific---the black kids who live in subsidized housing on St. Johns Place---the kids who live in the run down bldgs. on Washington ave---the kids who live in the the Section 8 buildings on Prospect Place---the kids who live in that building on the corner of St. Johns and Washington...-those BLACK kids---the kids who live in Tivoli Towers on Crown Street---those KIDS...not the toddlers ones being pushed around by nannies ...The nanny kids have parents can afford $4.00 scoops of ice cream. Many of the black kids (not all!) do not. It's pretty basic. In fact, I can count the number of black kids that I saw in that place last weekend on two hands. Why? Because the prices have made the ice cream inaccessible for many of the kids in the neighborhood...and to be fair, the majority of the kids that I see living around here are African-American. Many of them are being raised by single parents, grandparents, or working moms who barely make enough to make ends meet. That's who I'm talking about. If I'm balking at paying $4.00 for a scoop, certainly the mother who makes $6.75 an hour has taken notice too...And don't tell me the owner of the place is African-American. I know that already!

BTW, Sterling. Do not get me started about you saying that your Nanny (excuse me, babysitter) is a part of the neighborhood. She's a part of this neighborhood while she's bathing, feeding, nurturing, teaching, disciplining, and dare I say---parenting---your kid(s.) She lives in Canarsie and you're making a fool of yourself for even believing that she considers herself a part of YOUR neighborhood or your family. She's there to make money and take care of your kids...plain and simple. If you think for one second those nannies believe they are part of your family (or in this case neighborhood), spend a an hour in a black hair salon on a Saturday morning and take a listen to what they really think about you and your fancy strollers..yeah, I said it! What point are you making by saying your nanny (babysitter, wet nurse, psuedo-mom, whatever) stopped to by a scoop of ice cream with her own money?I don't get it.

Subject: ....

I'm sorry. I apologize. I let my emotions get the best of me. I happen to like the place...great ice cream. Good for the neighborhood. Let's talk about ice cream.

Blue Marble ice cream is excellent. I don't mind paying extra for a product that's artisan made. And Mr. Softee also hits the spot. Whatever.

BKChickie wrote: So, the logical next question: which flavor do I try on my first visit?

My universe of Blue Marble ice cream only includes two flavors at the moment - Tart Strawberry and Mint Chip. Both are excellent, but I think the Mint Chip wins by a narrow margin.

You can also taste before you buy (on biodegradable tasting spoons, or something..makes you feel like you are saving the planet, even though you aren't).

haven't been inside yet, but it really has "perked up" underhill. even if i'm not a huge fan of strollers, anything that gets people wandering around outside talking to each other is a good thing.

Went yesterday and it was amazingly delicious. Rich, creamy, not too sweet. I had a scoop of the strawberry.

I had high hopes for the Old Brooklyn Parlor on Vanderbilt when it opened, but lately there has been a lot of ice crystals. Hopefully the new place will keep the quality up.

The wife and I went back to Blue Marble after the 3-minute downpour last night. We both had cones. Whoever suggested the Cool Mint Chip was on the money, although I was a little confused/disappointed at first - I went in looking for bright green, and had to scan the drums of ice cream twice before I realized that there was no food coloring, this after a brief "they must have run out!" let down. My wife had some kind of blackberry and cream concoction - also very good. The size of the scoops was more than reasonable and, factoring in quality, I would say that it was a reasonable value.