May 31, 2000 Perhaps it's an ice cream fascination, but people will do the most interesting things to ice cream... or ice cream does the most amusin' things to people... Why just the other day... There are places in the city where one can watch both the making of ice cream desserts behind the counter, and then, with proper anglin' of eyes along the mirrored surface, watch cute girls eat ice cream... It's always a very slow and careful journey - both the making and eating of these works of art... Every so often, someone will order the House Special - something that would certainly elicit squeals of delight amongst those that can see what the dessert is. The House Special consists of a very large square porcelain plate topped by four mounds of ice cream: two each of dark rich chocolate, and two white vanilla - each sitting catty-cornered to each other. Meanwhile, off to a slight corner, there is a double broiler that's Always in use... today's sauces include... a rich milk chocolate, and because it's a special occasion... the butterscotch fudge is also there... Sometimes the Ice Cream Bartender will carefully spoon a healthy mound of fresh whip cream onto the square of ice cream, but tonight it's decided that a slow dance is called for. So, with a careful back and forth motion, the chocolate is dripped across the white mounds... shifting slightly with each pass. Each line is drawn forth and a slight twinge in arm muscles is seen as the broiler is replaced back onto the stove. The plate is spun ninety degrees and the Bartender switches arms... good to have ambidextrous fingers... And the same process is begun with the butterscotch fudge... watching each drop form and slowly fall onto the mounds of rich chocolate. And as each golden drop forms, eyes follow its slow descent... listening for the soft 'splash' of arrival. By now the four mounds of ice cream have softened slightly... while the criss-crossing of sauce have formed a colorful nest of chocolate in the center of the ice cream... an energetic whipping of cream has meant that even when the pan is turned over, there will be nothing to fall over - forming firm peaks of white. In keeping with four large mounds of ice cream, four dabs of whipped cream are placed on the top of the ice cream. A brief debate results in the fishing of dark red maraschino cherries from a pan ... placed on the center of the whipped cream, they are a rich contrast of red on white.