How To Eat Gelato

From Gourmet Gal's (Kathleen Peirce's) Blog

There is no point in learning how to enjoy gelato, that Italian style of ice cream, unless it is the very best of gelatos. Gelato, when made correctly, is the filet mignon of ice creams. Special K and I have found a secret little place in the Toronto gay village that serves the best gelato we have ever had. It is thick and cold and very very hard. So hard in fact that the staff have broken more than one gelato scooper trying to get it out of the tubs. But not so hard as to be a block of ice. No. It must have a smooth texture, bendable enough to melt, but hard enough to resist the inevitability of the warmth of your mouth until the last possible moment.

So now I can tell you how to eat it. First off, do not be in a rush. It must be in a dish, not a cone. Cones are for kids. And do not use a large spoon. A very small spoon the metes out tiny portions of gelato is best. Place each portion in your mouth and wrap your tongue around it so that all the aspects of the flavour you have chosen can be distinguished separately and completely. Then, as it melts, let it slide down your throat leaving bursts of sugar and cream in the recesses of your mouth. As you continue to eat, the remaining gelato will slowly get softer. As this happens gently stir your gelato in its dish between spoonfuls until it has the consistency of icing. Now you can pull it up from the dish like taffy, swirl it onto the spoon, and drizzle this onto your tongue. By the time you are finished your scoop, it will have turned from icing to whipped cream to something akin to a milkshake. This is the proper way I enjoy my Gelato.

So as not to discourage inevitable diversity in the art of gelato ingestion - feel free to share your ice cream eating methods with me.