Let me blog about Blue Bell

*part of a "what have I been doing while I was on DLoA" series

In April of this year, Blue Bell, the Southern US's favorite ice cream brand, was recalled due to a listeria outbreak. The plants had to be shut down due to the recall spreading all over, and people who had consumed the contaminated ice cream had died or have been hospitalized because of the exposure to the bacteria. I never tried the ice cream at the time, nor I knew that Blue Bell was a southern tradition, especially for the state of Texas.

Because I'm a foreigner and want to try everything that Texas has to offer, the unfortunate news that Blue Bell had to shut down production really came a shock to everyone in Houston…followed by an egg shortage that forced some Texas restaurants like Taco Cabana and Whataburger to limit their breakfast hours.

The past four months (almost the same length as my current relationship), Houston (and all over Texas), felt deprived of this ice cream. I'm more of a Blue Bunny kind of gal, but it's only because I grew up with that brand. Four months have passed, until a light started to glow.

At the beginning of August, when Blue Bell finally announced that production was being resumed, and that shipments of ice cream will be going out before the end of the month, Houston began to rejoice the fact that Blue Bell will be back in stores. Immediately I was like "YAY. Another thing to try while I'm here!". So right as I got off work, I headed to the nearest H-E-B (the only supermarket with Blue Bell…until a few days later other stores started to have them), and bought two pints of ice cream. The limit was four, so it's a good thing people can't go batshit insane about it. Dutch Chocolate and Cookies & Crème were the flavors. There was also homemade vanilla, but I didn't go for that one.

So, bought the two pints, went home, grabbed a spoon and started to devour what would become my new favorite ice cream of all time....



…why can't California have nice things?!

I ended up finishing the whole pint of Dutch Chocolate ice cream…and I'm sure that my face will go crazy the next morning (I break out every time I eat chocolate…it's sad D;). But…I finally know how people were feeling about this delicious ice cream. I began to ask my friends… What makes this ice cream the best of the rest? Natural ingredients, one of them said to me. They use real milk, real cream, real flavors. All others were imitators, artificial, fake. Once you take a spoonful of Blue Bell, you will never go back to Blue Bunny again. In the cookies & crème ice cream I ate…they had REAL OREO COOKIES. FRESHLY BAKED. I was in ice cream heaven.

Anyone who plans to visit Texas or the Southeastern US sometime soon…make Blue Bell your priority when you visit. You will want to ship some to your home.

The other Blue Bell plant is in Alabama so we're pretty excited about it returning as well. It's expected to hit our stores sometime later this month or so. It's definitely the best ice cream of all time.

oh my gosh Blue Bell is amazing and I wish other areas away from the south had it too <3

It's weird imagining places without Blue Bell...like Chase said, the other plant is in Alabama and I'm sure every true Alabamian has gone to the plant at some point. :P Blue Bell Cookies n Creme is my absolute favorite ice cream. All of the others suck. lol