Thursday, June 26, 2008

Baskin-Robbins Gets Vegan-Friendly

No matter how many years go by or how many inspirational John Robbins books I read, I never get over the fact that my Inner Child believes that Baskin- Robbins is how people tell you they love you. It's sad, I know, but when I was little my Grandma and Grandpa would take me there, lifting me up so I could gaze at all the magical ice cream colors before making my choice. It felt like the biggest treat in the whole, wide world.

So imagine my dismay when the only vegan flavor my local store carried was Lime Daiquiri Ice. Rum-flavored ice was not exactly the child-friendly flavor I dreamed of sharing with the little ones.

This year, though, Baskin-Robbins has come up with two brand new vegan flavors: Tropical Ice and Strawberry Sorbet. My store carries both, and after shmoo's last softball game we all went there to celebrate. We tried both flavors; the Tropical Ice was awesome.

I know, I know, please leave your "how could you" flames in the comments section. You really should probably just stay home and teach your kids that there are sugar-free ways to show you care. But I still wanted to get the news out to those of you, like me, who don't feel like proper parents without some summertime trips to the BR.

22 comments:

suthrncan said...

Flame is lame people!

I personally think it's great that you are able to share some of the memories of your own childhood with your son!

admin said...

i really hope nobody is lame enough to give you a hard time, but bless the ol' blogosphere, i'm sure they're out there somewhere.

good for you in sharing something special with your son. i might have to give this a try! i like having options when omni friends and family all go places- and out for ice cream is one of them. it's nice to not feel left out :)

molly
www.theadventuresofsuperwife.com

Bronwyn Schweigerdt said...

Thanks for passing that along. I'm a (vegan) nutritionist, and people always assume I'm anti-sugar, when I'm WAY more concerned about dairy!

Zachary said...

OMG Jennifer, I'm bringing you a handbasket on my next visit home! A handbasket full of Tropical Ice! Mm! That sounds great!

Julie said...

That's awesome! I have no how could you flames hehe Sometimes I just wanna go into a chain restaurant or ice cream place and eat something vegan!


-Julie
http://kindkitchen.wordpress.com/

JustALittleBit_Me said...

Oh thank you thank you thank you!

After eight years of being (mostly) dairy-free, the last of my cravings to linger has been ice cream, and BR was where my hubby and I got to know each other over many many sundaes back in the 80s. We treat our kids to BR every once in a while, but there has been *nothing* for me to enjoy there, and the kids feel sorry for me. They understand why Mommy gets left out, but it's sad to them, and to me. Now, I get to be happy at BR once again, and try that sorbet! Yay!

Susan said...

Thanks for the news. We're not totally vegan, but avoid dairy and my kids get left out of things like B & R, which is right across the street form church/school/ball field. Good to know I might be able to take them next time;0)

kate said...

No complaint here (sugar is gooooood...), only posting to relay that Lime Daquiri Ice was my absolute favorite flavor as a kid. So, for at least one person, out of all the 31-derful flavors, Lime Daquiri Ice was certainly the *most* kid-friendly! (And it's not rum-flavored... not even in the slightest- at least not like any rum I've ever had- Just lime-y.) Yum. Now I'm going to have to go get some after work today!

slacker momma and savvy techie! said...

jennifer, is there a way to search your blog? i was looking for a post you made a couple of years ago and did not know how to find it... TIA.

jaxin said...

I recently popped in to a Baskin Robbins and got a scoop of sorbet. It was delicious. And honestly walking in to a place in a strip mall, and ordering an item exactly how it comes on the menu, feels so so good!

Juliette said...

I never knew BR even had ONE vegan-friendly flavor! I'm excited. Ice cream has to be the hardest thing to give up next to cheese!!! I am studying to become a dietician but I think denying yourself some goodies is terrible. A BR trip or two this summer could be good for the soul! = ) Thanks for the info.

Yoga With John said...

You may all know that John Robbins, author of Diet For a New America comes from the BR family.

He left the family fortune and follwed his heart. Countless people have read his book and made the switch to Veg. Hooray for BR
to offer Vegan flavors.

Thanks for the news !

John the Vegan Yogi

http://wwww.YogaWithJohn.com

Unknown said...

hey! i was wondering what you feed the corn in your garden. mine are not very big & i am afraid they aren't getting proper nutrition.

thanks!

Jennifershmoo said...

>>jennifer, is there a way to search your blog? i was looking for a post you made a couple of years ago and did not know how to find it... TIA.

My blog has a "search blog" field in the upper left corner you can try, but my experience with it has been very hit-or-miss. If you tell me what you're looking for I can probably find it even if the search does not.

Jennifershmoo said...

>>hey! i was wondering what you feed the corn in your garden.

Nothing, I'm afraid. I dig a lot of compost into the soil before planting, then water and let it go.

arabidmouse said...

It's good to see that vegans can find more and more options when eating out. There is nothing wrong with the occasional treat. :)

Unknown said...

I'm so psyched. Thank you for posting this. I have to say it's very helpful to people like me who are *mostly* dairy-free but occasionally get sucked in by friends and peer pressure when going out. (I'm sixteen! I don't have a lot of willpower!)
Thank you! And I've been following this blog since probably the third post. You are amazing.

Loni Edwards said...

I am so glad I found this blog! I was doing a search for pixie vites and found your blog page on them. What a great blog you have! Anyways, just wanted to say Hi and I will return :)

Anonymous said...

Daiquiri ice was my favorite flavor as a kid. I didn't realize it was based on an alcoholic drink til I was in my 20s.

Alysha said...

That makes me so happy to hear that basket and robins now has vegan ice cream, i have just recently have become vegan and it is great to hear that because i just love that place.

Cyndi said...

My niece had a birthday party a few months ago with a cake from Baskin Robbins, which was a few doors down. I walked over there with my daughter and was thrilled to see that they had a bunch of dairy-free and egg-free offerings, as well as labels on all the choices.

BUT...I was blown away by the fact that they use the same scoops for them all. They put the used scoops into a shared water bath to remove flavor residue.

Since my daughter is allergic to all traces of egg (and chocolate), this meant we couldn't have anything. Even if they used a clean spoon, every carton was already contaminated.

I wrote BR but got no response.

Maybe your local BR separates the scoops, or maybe trace amounts aren't important to you, but it's something people should be aware of.

Danielle said...

Hey, there's nothing wrong with "cheating" once in a while. Kids should have ice cream!
Personally, however, I much prefer a fruit smoothie made at home.