Team Canteen or Team VG? Let the Creemee Wars Begin!
Judy: Well, Sharon, it’s that time of year. The time when the creemees are available again whenever you want them. I think it should be recognized as the state dessert.
Sharon: I agree! The daffodils come up, the roads get muddy, and the creemee signs come out–all sure signs of spring in the Mad River Valley.
Judy: There is no word such as “creemee” according to Merrium-Webster (I looked it up). But Internet consensus seems to be that it’s soft serve ice cream with more butterfat than regular soft serve, thus “creamier.” No Internet consensus on how the name came about or where the first one was served.
Sharon: Is it endearing or just plain sad that I was excited to pull my Shorter Oxford English Dictionary off the shelf to see what I could find? Alas, there was no enlightenment tucked between “creel” and “creep.”
Judy: Definitely endearing that you still own a paper dictionary. I think there are two places in the Valley for creemees, right? Canteen Creemee and the VG?
Sharon: That is correct. Though if you go just outside the MRV to Middlesex, you will discover the Red Hen Bakery. The texture and flavors of the Red Hen creemees rival both VG and Canteen, but what makes them the fairest of all in my mind is their homemade waffle cones. The cones alone make the longer drive worthwhile.
Judy: At the risk of causing conflict in our fine writing partnership, which is your favorite place?
Sharon: Let me add a wrinkle to your question: let’s not forget the Johnson family creemees. My husband, Carl, bought a restaurant-grade creemee machine (made in Italy, go figure) in a pandemic shopping haze. He makes a mean maple creemee, and has also come up with some delicious varieties–chocolate peppermint and coconut are two recent wins.
But if you’re forcing me to choose my favorite Valley creemee beyond the ones made in the basement of our Warren home, I have to go with Canteen Creamery. Their creemee flavors are delicious, they offer all sorts of fun add-ins, and there is a certain down-home charm to enjoying a cone while standing in a parking lot.
Judy: I have had the privilege of a Carl basement creemee, and I do think they rival the commercial ones, but unless you are opening a new creemee stand in Warren, then we are back to the two other options. And while I love the quirky flavors of the Canteen (basil creemee, anyone? Mojito cone sundae?), when I want maple, the most traditional flavor, I visit the VG. Best ones in the Valley.
Sharon: We are going to have to agree to disagree on this one. This argument is kind of like the Montreal bagel wars–you are either team Fairmont or team St.-Viateur. I suspect people have come to blows defending their favorite Valley creemee spot.
Judy: Hey, didn’t you write a story about creemees?
Sharon: Yes, let’s bring “Creemees for a Cause” back for this month.