Althouse: We paid $11 for a pint of ice cream in Madison, Wisconsin.

June 19, 2010

We paid $11 for a pint of ice cream in Madison, Wisconsin.

Ice cream imported from... Ohio.

Jeni's. Flavor: Salty Caramel. I'm a sucker for caramel.

64 comments:

Meade said...: Ohio Love You; 6/19/10, 7:37 PM
ricpic said...: I actually drove through The Mistake On The Lake yesterday and in its own way it is quite...exotic.; 6/19/10, 7:42 PM
Humperdink said...: $11/pint......what recession?; 6/19/10, 7:44 PM
Anonymous said...: Jeez,

You know, I was just about to hit the PayPal donate button.

But since you're able to purchase Ice Cream for $11 a pint and blithely rub it in our faces, I think I'll stop donating to your site.

You're rich enough.

It's nice to know what all that Wisconsin taxpayer money is being spent on.; 6/19/10, 7:49 PM
Mark said...: For a PINT?????; 6/19/10, 7:53 PM
EK said...: Unlike “New ‘Hussein’ Ham,” whose expressed attitude on the issue is a little too “holier than thou” for my taste, I certainly wouldn’t begrudge you your rich, caramel indulgence…

But I wouldn’t pay $11 for a gallon of ice cream, let alone a pint, regardless of its quality—and I’m an ice cream lover… from Ohio.; 6/19/10, 8:02 PM
Unknown said...: gee, and here I thought you were a bright one. Anyone paying $11 in 2010 for ice cream, unless there were flecks of real gold in it must have voted for Obama.

Oops...; 6/19/10, 8:05 PM
avwh said...: "gee, and here I thought you were a bright one. Anyone paying $11 in 2010 for ice cream, unless there were flecks of real gold in it must have voted for Obama.

Oops..."

Bingo! Thought the exact same thing....; 6/19/10, 8:08 PM
Unknown said...: Blogging must pay extremely well.

Either that or Meade's share from the Bank of Hanoi as fifth member of the A-Team must be bigger than I thought.

PS I know what you mean about caramel, but Salty?; 6/19/10, 8:11 PM
former law student said...: Was this from a store, or was it to be consumed on premises? I ask because I'm used to restaurants charging $30 for a bottle of wine that retails for $12.99. I will assume the dairy bar's markup is similarly stratospheric, and that the retail price is actually $5.; 6/19/10, 8:17 PM
Humperdink said...: Please tell me it was $11 because the Obamacare calorie tax was enacted prematurely in Madison.; 6/19/10, 8:28 PM
Anonymous said...: I can see four letters of the brand name. They are E, N, I, S.

One hopes that the first letter isn't P.

Peter; 6/19/10, 8:31 PM
Anonymous said...: Had salty caramel in Seattle last week. Yum.; 6/19/10, 8:33 PM
The Dude said...: Where is Crack to deride yuppie new age bs? Anyone? Bueller?; 6/19/10, 8:36 PM
Sorin said...: For $11.00 I want something from Berthillion. I've never had Ohio ice cream. Either way, spending $11.00 for ice cream means bologna sandwiches or peanut butter for lunch the rest of the week.; 6/19/10, 8:42 PM
Meade said...: fls gets it.

Hey, just trying to redistrbute a little wealth. Ohio ice cream makers are people too, ya know.; 6/19/10, 8:53 PM
Ralph L said...: For that price, they should spiff up the presentation instead of handing you a carton and two spoons (I'm assuming Meade got a taste).; 6/19/10, 9:08 PM
Mian said...: Jeni's salty caramel is goooood. (It's from Columbus, BTW.) Ohio's always had great iced cream. Other than Jeni's, there's Graeter's in Cincinnati and Mitchell's Homemade in Cleveland.; 6/19/10, 9:10 PM
Anonymous said...: Isn't Meade fron Cincy? Why the hell aren't you buying Graeter's, the best thing on the whole damn planet? Worth any price.; 6/19/10, 9:17 PM
mesquito said...: They saw you coming.; 6/19/10, 9:22 PM
Writ Small said...: I'm trying to determine if the cropping was deliberately obscene. "Salty caramel," really?; 6/19/10, 9:32 PM
Fred4Pres said...: Was it worth $11 a pint?; 6/19/10, 9:34 PM
Fred4Pres said...: fls gets it.

Must have been a hell of a dairy barn to enjoy that ice cream in.; 6/19/10, 9:36 PM
Jason (the commenter) said...: What would have made that picture perfect, would have been a homeless person begging for money in the background. You know, really rubbing in the decadence.; 6/19/10, 9:37 PM
Dorsey Gillman said...: Three 1.5 quart containers of ice cream, Mayfield brand, were $2.18 each here in Georgia last week; that's $6.54 total for four and a half quarts. That seems to convert to about $100 worth in Ohio bucks! How much does a twelve ounce Ohio Coke cost?; 6/19/10, 9:44 PM
Robert said...: Isn't Meade fron Cincy? Why the hell aren't you buying Graeter's, the best thing on the whole damn planet? Worth any price.

They already blogged eating Graeter's. :)

Sounds like it was so expensive because they had it shipped from the web site?

Hey, people spend 11 bucks on a lot of things that aren't as good as a special pint of ice cream.

I live in the Cleveland area and I don't think they sell Jeni's around here. :( I'll have to try some next time I'm in Columbus. They sell Graeters at some grocery stores here, but I'm usually loyal to Mitchell's (mentioned by another commenter). But, yeah, Ohio pretty much has the best ice cream, I guess.; 6/19/10, 9:45 PM
Robert said...: Dorsey, if they had the ice cream shipped to Wisconsin, I'm sure the cost involved the special packaging and whatnot.; 6/19/10, 9:47 PM
traditionalguy said...: Does that delirious looking dish have lots of salt/sodium on the list? All I do lately is read the lists on everything.; 6/19/10, 9:49 PM
Dorsey Gillman said...: "Dorsey, if they had the ice cream shipped to Wisconsin, I'm sure the cost involved the special packaging and whatnot."

Had it been ice cream by Ben & Jerry I can see an Obama voter paying a high price, what with knowing the profits are going to Al Gore and/or the "Re-elect Barry" campaign. "Ummm!" she said, "Good ice cream and a contribution to my guy too!"; 6/19/10, 9:58 PM
grange2500 said...: Ben & Jerry's doesn't begin to match Jeni's. Could they make feta ice cream that you'd enjoy eating? I'm cheap, yet I will buy 3 pints at a time. My favorites: Cherry Lambic and Queen City Cayenne.; 6/19/10, 10:05 PM
Blue@9 said...: Are you eating "Penis" ice cream?

We've got some ridiculously priced ice cream here in SF too. But every once in a while it's worth it. My fave is "Secret Breakfast" from a place called Humphrey Slocombe--tastes like Frosted Flakes and Bourbon.; 6/19/10, 10:07 PM
Geoff Matthews said...: The website for the ice cream company sounds so SWPL.; 6/19/10, 10:22 PM
Scott said...: I prefer Chef's Chocolate Salty Balls.

From the YouTube comments:

"I actually listened to the song, very carefully, wrote down all the ingredients, and made them for my kids school fete, they tasted like salty chocolate merangues, YUMMM they were a big hit, but the teachers never looked at me the same again.....even decorated the box with all the south park pics on it, they actually auctioned them, and made a lot of money"; 6/19/10, 10:25 PM
Jimmy said...: http://bequetconfections.com/

If you are a fan of salted caramel Bequet's makes some of the best.; 6/19/10, 10:42 PM
Donna B. said...: Oh thank you Meade for the link to Jeni's. I needed the laugh.

Dark Chocolate
Mouth-filling, palate-gripping, intense chocolate flavor with a fudge-like texture. Pleasingly dry finish.

Y'all got took even if the milk did come from special cows.; 6/19/10, 11:04 PM
Anonymous said...: Damn... that Ice Cream looks great.

What looks even greater, from a professional viewpoint, is your endorsement of it. Your "it's expensive, so what?" intro is perfect; the link juice flows and probably a sale or two or three do too.

We who are about to sell salute you!; 6/19/10, 11:10 PM
Chip Ahoy said...: Ha ha ha. You kill me.

I would buy a pint just to see what's the dealio, then emulate whatever I think it is.

I bought an ice cream maker on eBay a few years back for $30.00 and use the hell out of it. It's a toy. I try all kind of things. You can get vanilla beans on eBay too para un precio muy muy bueno.

Gordon Ramsay shows how to make caramel the easy way. There are other ways too for different effect. Some techniques use cream.

YouTube is loaded with videos of people making ice cream, but don't watch them. They all talk too much and they're boring.; 6/19/10, 11:11 PM
kathleen said...: their "goat cheese with figs" is quite nice as well; 6/19/10, 11:20 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: What would have made that picture perfect, would have been a homeless person begging for money in the background. You know, really rubbing in the decadence.

Or stay on the cutting edge of cultural relevancy and make it an oil-soaked bird doing the begging.; 6/19/10, 11:23 PM
HKatz said...: A movie ticket can cost 11 bucks (or around that price).

So for anyone getting preachy or talking about decadence... just think, if you're having a day out and have some money to spend on something you'll enjoy... would you choose a ticket to a (most likely) mediocre movie, or would you splurge on delicious ice cream?; 6/19/10, 11:38 PM
Señora Trimmer said...: At $11 a pound, it's cheaper than filet mignon from the local (not fancy) grocery store.

I think I'd rather splurge on the ice cream.

I have a full cart on the Jeni's website right now:

1 4-Pack Jeni's
Splendid Ice
Creams

* Flavor 1 : Salty Caramel
* Flavor 2 : Queen City Cayenne
* Flavor 3 : Goat Cheese w/ Roasted Red Cherries
* Flavor 4 : Honey Vanilla Bean
* Optional 5th : Backyard Mint(+10.00)
* Optional 6th : Strawberry Buttermilk(+10.00)
* Optional 7th : Bangkok Peanut-formerly Thai Chili(+8.00)
* Optional 8th : Kona Stout(+8.00)
* Optional 9th : Cherry Lambic Sorbet(+8.00)
* Set of Spades : No, Thanks!
* Serving Paddle : No, Thanks!
* .25 gift to Veggie U : No, Thanks!

$92.00
Subtotal: $92.00
Shipping: $10.00
Total: $102.00

That would make for a really fun tasting party.

I'm going to cancel my order, though. I think I ought to consult my wife before spending $100 for ice cream.; 6/19/10, 11:41 PM
Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 6/20/10, 12:10 AM
Palladian said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 6/20/10, 12:17 AM
Palladian said...: There's nothing wrong with gustatory indulgence. It's one of the happiest forms of conspicuous consumption since it's all about pleasure, and leaves almost no trace, except perhaps for a few extra pounds and a photograph on the blog. I would much rather spend money on food and drink, shared with my beloveds, than on cars, clothes or almost anything else.

Thanks to the recession and personal disaster, some of us can now barely pay our bills, let alone indulge in the way we used to.

Of course you can help ease the sad plight of this once-rich libertine epicurean! Click on my blogad on the front page and buy some cheap art to go with your ice cream! Yay!

(I'm a whore. I know it. I approve of that, too!); 6/20/10, 12:18 AM
Ann Althouse said...: I think your wife would be thrilled at a $100 shipment of ice cream!; 6/20/10, 12:34 AM
Palladian said...: Hmm. I'm not that crazy about ice cream, or sweets in general. I'd rather have a 100 dollar shipment of steak or a 100 dollar shipment of kippers or a 100 dollar shipment of foie gras. And, of course, you can get a perfectly delicious buzz on 100 dollars of Plymouth gin or Ardbeg scotch.; 6/20/10, 12:45 AM
chuck b. said...: Fancy ice cream is the big thing now. My favorite flavor: Bourbon and corn flakes.; 6/20/10, 1:02 AM
Revenant said...: Was the salty caramel ice cream any good? Just curious. I have family in Ohio.; 6/20/10, 1:38 AM
Michael Haz said...: At Fromagination, I'd guess. A cheese shop unlike any other. Worth the trip.; 6/20/10, 3:33 AM
lemondog said...: $0.6875/oz.

Would be intereasting to see a blind test of various ice cream brands including Jeni's.

Buy bulk:
Nine pints for $85 not including s&h ranging between $10-$35.

Who sez there's a recession!; 6/20/10, 5:57 AM
MadisonMan said...: No rBST in that Ice Cream, I'll bet.

I hope it was good. I love a good dish of ice cream on a hot day.; 6/20/10, 6:46 AM
Ray said...: Ignore the haters. Jeni's salty caramel is good.; 6/20/10, 8:16 AM
James said...: The absolute best ice cream I've had was from the Berkey Creamery at Penn State; closely followed by Stucchi's in Ann Arbor.

For 11 bucks I can get more frozen custard than I can ever stand custard from Kopps or Leon's in Milwaukee. Heck, even Culver's.

Yeah for 16 percent butterfat!

wv: treateri. No kidding.; 6/20/10, 8:18 AM
Fr Martin Fox said...: New "Hussein" Ham said...

"Jeez, you know, I was just about to hit the PayPal donate button.

"But since you're able to purchase Ice Cream for $11 a pint and blithely rub it in our faces, I think I'll stop donating to your site."

If you not only thought about donating to Professor Althouse's site, and have done so previously, then you're either a colossal sucker, or being disengenuous.

That's not a criticism of our genial host; it's just...haven't you been paying attention? Mr. Meade and Ms. Althouse entertain us with their lives of good food, beer and wine, cafe visits and travel...and only now you're waking up to the fact that they live comfortable lives???

Ms. Althouse is entitled to do with her money as she sees fit. It's called freedom.

And insofar as you keep returning here, you get something of value from this site, so what's your beef?

Professor, thanks for the tip--when I make it to Columbus, I'll see about trying that ice cream!; 6/20/10, 8:50 AM
Meade said...: @Fr Martin Fox: You can also try it in Northside, where daughter and I had lunch last week.; 6/20/10, 9:00 AM
Fr Martin Fox said...: Ricpic said...

"I actually drove through The Mistake On The Lake yesterday and in its own way it is quite...exotic."

Ricpic:

Please feel free to drive around next time.; 6/20/10, 9:03 AM
Anonymous said...: I agree with the supporters- $11 isn't that much at all for a once in a while 20 minutes or so activity that gives you pleasure. They could have easily spent that or more on a couple of drinks at a bar and no one would think anything of it (and I'll bet that ice cream was far better than any over-syruped frozen bar specialty!)

That said, I prefer to make my own ice cream.; 6/20/10, 9:03 AM
Omaha1 said...: Is that your new haircut? Cute, casual, summery!; 6/20/10, 9:27 AM
Deborah M. said...: You can pay that much for ice cream from Cold Stone Creamery. I have done so, yet I still prefer Publix store brand which is on sale this week 2 half gallon cartons for $5.00. I love their Key Lime Pie and Moose Tracks. That said, ice cream is my thing, I love it and I would probably indulge in an $11.00 /pint once in a while.

Still, homemade is the best. Remember those hand-cranked wooden ice cream makers? That was a real treat during the summer; home made peach ice cream. Now I'm all verklempt.; 6/20/10, 9:40 AM
virgil xenophon said...: GAAK!! This is even more of an SWPL crowd than I realized. I'll stick with my plebeian Blue Bunny choc & raspberry swirl yogurt (comes in the ice cream too!); 6/20/10, 10:06 AM
virgil xenophon said...: GAAK!! This is even more of an SWPL crowd than I realized. I'll stick with my plebeian Blue Bunny choc & raspberry swirl yogurt (comes in the ice cream too!); 6/20/10, 10:06 AM
Palladian said...: "Still, homemade is the best. Remember those hand-cranked wooden ice cream makers?"

Num num num! I love making ice cream more than eating it! I received some sloes from a friend and made ice cream with them, a little gin and cream infused with juniper berries... sloe gin ice cream! It was a big hit.; 6/20/10, 10:18 AM
Phil 314 said...: I seem to recall a past discussion on "elites"......

Hmmm....; 6/20/10, 12:41 PM
Known Unknown said...: I live in Columbus.

I work in Columbus.

I've never had Jeni's, but I've heard good things. And now more good things.

Cold Stone Creamery disgusts me like nothing else on the planet.

That stone ... the slapping of the ice cream on it, and then the 'hand turning or mixing' or whatever it is.

It's slop.; 6/20/10, 8:48 PM