I Is For Ice Cream, I Do Believe

/ Ally Bean

Screen Shot 2016-03-21 at 10.51.53 AM“I scream, You scream, We all scream for ice cream.”

This is what my Dad used to say, kind of like he was casting a spell, when we as a family would get in the car to go get ice cream cones at the local dairy.

This was big deal back then in my small town.

There were no stores open 24/7.  All we had were a few dairies in town, each featuring a rotating list of flavors, that sold ice cream cones, during limited hours of operation.

icecreamcone

I never knew why he said what he said.  But a fast googling tells me that this saying is part of the lyrics to a dreadful 1920s novelty song of the same name.  The stupid lyrics are whacked, making references to Alaska and Eskimos;  the irritating tune is a fox trot.

How he ever came to know this song I couldn’t say.  But like most of the food sayings I’ve talked about so far, they just get into your brain and never leave.

54 thoughts on “I Is For Ice Cream, I Do Believe”

  2. That saying brings back memories of childhood and the little scooter type ice cream trucks that played silly kids songs and traveled all over local neighborhoods during the summer. Even today, living just outside our small city, as soon as the sun begins to shine for more than a few days in a row those songs and one of those little truck things (usually a converted mail truck) comes through our neighborhood. Now I just wonder about the day when no one has a memory of this iconic business…

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    • Deb, we still have the ice cream man around here, sometimes. There’s nothing organized about whoever drives our truck, but some days, at some hour, one of those trucks patrols the neighborhood. You make an excellent point that this sort of business will soon be long gone.

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  4. I remember it from my childhood too. I can also sing the “Mr. Softee” song that would blast from their ice cream trucks. Woo hoo! Good times! Vanilla or chocolate was a big decision back then.

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  5. I lived in s small town too. Cows and hay bales for miles upon miles. It was a great little town to be raised in. I miss that. Do you dabble in ice cream goodness? I dabble a bit, but nowadays it makes my teeth scream.

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    • bitsfromheaven, when I was a kid it was an event when we went to get an ice cream cone. Not at all like it is now with ice cream available on just about every corner. And so many flavors now! I eat some of it, but it’s high fat and doesn’t always digest quite right for me.

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  6. I remember that saying at summer camp. Fun memories! I never knew there was a whole song about it. I will have to look it up and listen. I remember our family going to a little ice cream shop and I always got the blue ice cream. I can’t remember the flavor, but I loved the color blue!

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    • Beth, just follow my links up there to listen to it! But be forewarned: it’s an annoying tune. Where in the world did you eat blue ice cream? I was grooving on raspberry ripple, which was, now that I think about, kind of blue.

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      • It was at Bowes (sp?) ice cream shop. We always stopped there when visiting Bob and Birdie and kids. I agree…very annoying tune!

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  8. I’m familiar with the saying . . . but not the song. I took a glance at the lyrics and I don’t think I’ve ever heard/seen them before.

    As for ice cream ~ homemade, in the back yard, out of hand-cranked container, with fresh strawberries.

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    • nrhatch, we used to make homemade ice cream like that when my Dad was in a mood to turn the crank. He was a nut for strawberries, but I don’t remember other homemade flavors. And yes, those lyrics are goofy, but not in a good way.

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  10. Ice cream is one of those things I eat as is–no low-fat or sugar-free versions, because they just don’t do it for me. But I keep the portion small, just enough to wet the whistle. I don’t crave it much in winter, but oh, come summer, it’s hard to resist. Guess the person who came up with the ‘I Scream’ chant thought so too!

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  11. You know what you just did. You made me want ice cream. Darn it. And not my polite little Hold the Cones from Trader Joe’s. Nope. I want something really indulgent. The question is whether I will resist the urge!

    @IsaLeeWolf
    A Bit to Read

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  12. I go for long stretches where I am indifferent to ice cream, too. Then–usually during the summer–I get an Ice Cream Habit. It has to be premium, too, and that’s okay. That kind comes in small containers and is more expensive, so I don’t eat as much.

    If we go out for ice cream, I love to go to a local artisan place, Mitchell’s. So many incredible, all-natural, locally-sourced flavor options. (But like you, as a kid I was a sucker for the very pretty Raspberry Ripple.)

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    • nance, I only eat premium ice cream, too. I don’t crave it, so when I do indulge I go for the best. We live near a wonderful ice cream shoppe, but oddly enough we rarely go there. If I were more of an aficionado, I’d be trouble. Although they do not have raspberry ripple, which is disappointing!

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  13. I remember singing that song too! ……. And feeling like I was a ‘cool kid’. Thanks for the memory, along with the reminded that we didn’t have 24/7 availability to food purchases.
    🙂

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    • Mary Lou, it was so different back then. You got food during certain hours of the day, and if you didn’t get to the store/restaurant, you did without. Seemed so normal then, but not now.

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  14. I never knew that saying came from a song! Not going to follow your links, however, and risk getting the irritating tune caught in my head. We had Baskin Robbins and DQ, but I loved visiting my grandparents where we would go to the Dairy Bar (where Mom worked in high school) and the Twist – where they twisted chocolate and vanilla soft serve together! A miracle! Love ice cream, now I’m craving some.

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    • Zazzy, I was surprised to learn about the origin of that saying. You are a wise woman to not listen to the song. It’s rather annoying and the lyrics are ridiculous. We had a soft serve place in town, too. That whole twist idea was inspired. Loved going there because I could get sprinkles on my cone.

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  15. I’m with Zazzy; I never knew it came from a song. We always said it for fun because we loved ice cream and it was way more difficult to get than it is now. So, we actually SCREAMED for it. 🙂

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  16. This phrase was worked into the hair band classic of the late 80’s, “Cherry Pie.” “I scream, you scream, we all scream for her! Don’t even try, ‘Cuz you can’t ignore her!” Warrant had a way with words…

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    • evilsquirrel13, I didn’t know that, but these lyrics are ubiquitous, so why not? Am hoping that no one ever decides to remake the tune, though. It’s annoying.

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  17. It’s still a common saying around here. Or at least it is for me. 🙂

    There were no dairies around where I grew up. The only ice cream (other than the store bought) was Dairy Queen soft serve and Baskin-Robbins 31 flavors. When I was a child, I remember how exciting it was when I got to go to a downtown pharmacy drug store that used to sell hand scooped (square) ice cream cones.

    Ice cream is trouble for me.

    Stefani | Dreams of Nyssa

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    • Stefani, I remember going downtown to a pharmacy and having a sundae. Sitting at the counter, it was a big deal and lots of fun. I’d forgotten about that long-forgotten treat. I think ice cream is trouble for almost everyone!

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    • Debs Carey, I think it is an American saying, but it’s so silly that you’d think other English-speaking countries would say it, too! I dunno. Maybe your boyfriend doesn’t like ice cream! 😉

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  19. When Baskin Robins stores arrive, it was like heaven.
    We lived across from some sort of chain ice cream store in Mass. when I was little – some afternoons, big brother and I ran (seriously, we dodged fast moving traffic across 6 lanes) across and got to get a small cone – such amazing flavors. I’ve never been able to match that black raspberry ice cream anywhere since.

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