Vice Cream – Choc of Shame

Ironically It’s a Flavor to be Proud of

Also, Pint 1 of My New Mini Series on Vice Cream

Let’s start by talking about the power of names. The brand Vice Cream is appropriate for me in that ice cream is probably the only true vice I have. I can give up any substance, pass time, or device if need be, but if you touch my ice cream, we’re going to have a problem. So the second I heard about the brand of dessert that speaks to my single addiction, I had an inkling feeling I would be a fan. This is the power of branding.

But the power of names goes deeper than this. The specific flavor I’ll be talking about today is Choc of Shame. A name that implies you should feel ashamed. Like it’s the morning after a night of heavy alcohol consumption and have to make it back to your place with clothes a mess, eye liner smeared, and in this case, a mysterious brown substance smudged at the corner of your lip. So while I was stoked to try this ice cream, if the flavor is to live up to its namesake, I was curious to see how I would end up in this negative situation.

Choc of Shame Flavor Profile

It’s got chocolate ice cream, chocolate brownie bits, and chocolate chunk shavings. The chocolate isn’t too heavy so it can be eaten almost endlessly, and the shavings and brownie bits are just small accents to the delicious chocolate base. Thankfully, neither are so big that you have to excavate these mix-ins from the rest of the ice cream like some sort of paleontologist. That said, it is really packed in and it freezes hard. I’d suggest letting it thaw for about 3 and a half minutes at room temp for optimal scooping ease (otherwise it really will be like excavating a ruin). So far it’s seemingly normal to above average ice cream, I know.

But then we remember the power of names.

Maybe it was because I ate this on a rainy day. Maybe it was the grit from the chocolate shavings. Or perhaps I was influenced by the feeling of guilt this name provokes; but however you get there, after just a few bites I felt a wave of sadness flow over me. It wasn’t pure shame like the name implies, but there were definitely notes of guilt intertwined in my sadness. Seriously though, eating this ice cream sent melancholy chills reverberating through my body. I somehow felt alone, and all the feelings I had been bottling up til now came forth. Relationships that ended poorly, moments where I was a fool, and the general feeling of isolation that can come from miles of nothingness along an Indiana highway. All these emotions culminated into one, and I was finally ready to face them head on with ice cream by my side.

In essence, it felt like watching Bojack Horseman for the first time. People will tell you it’s a comedy, but when watching the cartoon, you find the elements of depravity and human reality ring true more often than the chuckles. It’s a shock, but still extremely enjoyable. There’s a beauty that can come from sadness and this ice cream is the same way. Often you think of ice cream as this happy-go-lucky dessert 100% of the time. But it’s actually far more than that. You can feel depth emanating from this flavor, which is just another side of this dessert to love.

Ultimately, this is actually a wonderful piece of art in dessert form.

Vice Cream Conclusion

I can tell already that this will go down as one of the great “bad-day ice creams” of this generation. Were you laid off? Have a pint. Did your boo dump you? Eat this. Did a loved one pass? Here you go my friend. This is one of those flavors that lets you revel in your sadness, but also somehow feel at peace with being in sadness. It’s not a good idea to bottle up your emotions too much, and sometimes you just need to eat a full pint of chocolaty goodness, and let all the feels out.

So I say I liked this feeling of sadness, however momentary it was- like watching a good tragedy. The Bojack Horseman of ice cream.

If you want to try Choc of Shame for yourself, you’ll need to find out where they are located near you. Luckily, their store locator can be found here.

Tell Me Your Favorite Bad Day Ice Cream

Don’t lie. We all have had one. I’m just curious what yours is. Leave a comment below, or send me a message if  you’d like me to try your bad day ice cream. Hey, I’ll probably even write about my experience on it. Send me a message on my contact page. I hope to hear from you soon!