Now that we've lived here for a few months, we've started a list of favorites. Favorite parks. Favorite movie theater. Favorite restaurants.
And of course, Favorite Desserts.
When I first found out I was allergic to dairy I said to my naturopath "Does that mean I can't have ice cream?" She said "Ice cream is the absolute worst thing you could have."
I think I managed to stifle my sob but only for a moment.
Ice cream was my favorite "treat", so I was disappointed. No DQ in the summer after ballgames? Sacriligious!
Sam and I were relegated to rice milk ice cream or coconut milk ice cream (which actually isn't bad!)
(That's a school spirit tattoo on her face. Lovely.)
But then we discovered Paciugo. It's a gourmet gelato cafe with a wide variety of flavors--different every time you go in.
I'd never had gelato, though I dare say after reading Eat, Pray, Love, I probably would've figured out a way to locate some even if I didn't live here.
The best part is they have soy based and water based options for people like me and Sam.
And TONS of other amazing options for everyone else. They also have specialty drinks where they make your coffee with the gelato. I have a feeling I shouldn't even try this because they may never get me to leave. And that could get embarrassing.
Gelato has 70% less fat than ice cream and it's SO creamy and good.
And fun. There's something fun about walking in and perusing a case full of options. Those are the kinds of decisions that don't stress me out!
I should add that I typically don't like soy. I don't like it in my lattes at all, but for whatever reason, in gelato, it's amazing. That's not saying that sometimes I don't snag a milk-based version and leave it to chance.
Sometimes I pay the price for that. Okay, I almost always pay the price for that...but I'm learning the hard lesson that food allergies don't just disappear when you lose weight. They're also agitated by stress. My stomach is mostly wobbly these days and I know I just need to figure out how to relax. It's a process.
The best part about Paciugo, of course, is taste-testing all the different flavors and deciding what kind to get. They have tiny little spoons for this purpose. My kids love it.
Even the big kid.
We went when my mom and dad were here. They love it too. In fact, I think my mom and I went back a couple of extra times just the two of us, but I'm sworn to secrecy on that one. We could make a meal of gelato and we're perfectly okay with that.
I know my mom's gonna kill me for posting a picture of her, but look how happy Ethan is. Focus on Ethan, Mom.
Cute, no?
Doesn't it make your mouth water just looking at it?
The coffee flavors are my favorite. And I never used to like coffee ice cream.
Sam almost always gets some sort of sorbet.
Clearly, we all leave satisfied...
P.S. Thanks so much for sharing in my exciting news yesterday! I am over the moon and you guys made me even MORE excited! :)
