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05/21/2008
Posted (almost) without comment
Free ice cream for pregnant women! Coliform bacteria: no extra charge!
Posted by Julie at 08:55 AM | Permalink
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Comments (39)
i think they should just hook pregnant women up to IVs. no more guessing and paranoia!
Posted by: charmedgirl at May 21, 2008 9:18:06 AM
I suppose you could always give it to your older child. You know, providing you had one.
Then, why don't they just offer free soft serve (complete with possible Listeria bug) to children, rather than pregnant women. Grr.
Posted by: Veronica at May 21, 2008 9:26:17 AM
Home-made dairy ice cream is the way forward, I feel. Shovelled so much in whilst pregnant that my toes disappeared far too soon.
Posted by: Ann Baylis at May 21, 2008 9:29:24 AM
I think I'll pass and stick to my yogurt.
Posted by: Elizabeth at May 21, 2008 9:34:55 AM
Am I the only one thinking that now I don't want that stuff even when NOT pregnant?
There are enough dessert choices without adding cooties to the mix. Ick.
Posted by: Mandy at May 21, 2008 10:34:03 AM
I wonder if the post-pregnancy "bump" counts? They don't have to know it's been 16 months since baby has exited.
Now if only they would make soft-serve out of a non-dairy polymer like a McD's shake, then none of this bacterial crap would flourish in it, would it?
Posted by: Geeks In Rome at May 21, 2008 10:44:25 AM
I just want to know how they are going to separate the preggos from the not. Does a Follistim bump count?
Now, if they are going to confirm pregnancies via ultrasound before giving me my 3-ounce cone, I might take them up on it, since I am a whore for an ultrasound. I can even throw the ice cream away.
Posted by: SarcastiCarrie at May 21, 2008 10:52:38 AM
No, they give you a pee test first.
Posted by: Kara at May 21, 2008 11:28:48 AM
Lovely.
Gotta love this tidbit, too:
"A reader asked, would I take my pregnant wife for free B&R soft serve ice cream?
No."
Because, you know, pregnant wives can't get places on their own.
Posted by: Jody at May 21, 2008 12:54:11 PM
This makes me sad, my summers revolve around Dairy Queen. sigh. Finally pregnant, and now I can't eat Dairy Queen.
Posted by: Jen at May 21, 2008 12:55:40 PM
Ugh, I worked in an ice cream shop in high school, and once I learned how they cleaned (or DIDN'T CLEAN, more to the point) that machine, I couldn't eat soft serve for a long time. I still have to be desperate to eat it.
Also, I say if you can sport a maternity-looking shirt convincingly, you should be eligible.
Posted by: clarabella at May 21, 2008 12:57:00 PM
Ugh, I worked in an ice cream shop in high school, and once I learned how they cleaned (or DIDN'T CLEAN, more to the point) that machine, I couldn't eat soft serve for a long time. I still have to be desperate to eat it.
Also, I say if you can sport a maternity-looking shirt convincingly, you should be eligible.
Posted by: clarabella at May 21, 2008 1:01:16 PM
Ugh, I worked in an ice cream shop in high school, and once I learned how they cleaned (or DIDN'T CLEAN, more to the point) that machine, I couldn't eat soft serve for a long time. I still have to be desperate to eat it.
Also, I say if you can sport a maternity-looking shirt convincingly, you should be eligible.
Posted by: clarabella at May 21, 2008 1:01:25 PM
This is awesome! *Ahem* - not the Coliform bacteria part but the fact that there is something called a "barfblog" and it is hosted by Kansas State - my alma mater! Thanks, Julie, for keeping us informed and go WILDCATS!
Posted by: SalGal at May 21, 2008 1:01:55 PM
Crap. Sorry about the repeats. I don't know how that happened.
Posted by: clarabella at May 21, 2008 1:06:16 PM
And you can't even chase your cup o' cooties with a healthy slug of vodka to fry any pathogens. Stupid pregnancy!
Eagerly awaiting promotions from the lunchmeat and Brie industries...
Posted by: Jul at May 21, 2008 1:11:43 PM
Seriously, pg women shouldnt eat soft ice cream? Or pizza? Well then, I guess my daughter should not be here b/c I ate cold cuts, pizza, and Ritas custard like it all was going out of style while pregnant. I also ate stuffed shells that contained loads of cooked ricotta cheese, oops!
As for the rule against eating sushi, tell it to the Japanese: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/15/opinion/15shaw.html?ex=1342152000&en=a30c838e3d0bd7f5&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink
I think that ice cream article was a whole lot of unfair fearmongering aimed at an already paranoid sect of the population >: They already like to tell us that our public water contains antidepressents and our breastmilk contains formeldahyde. It's a miracle any of us are still alive.. or is it?
Posted by: Foster at May 21, 2008 1:12:10 PM
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/15/opinion/15shaw.html?ex=1342152000&en=a30c838e3d0bd7f5&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink
Whole url didnt come thru last time.
Posted by: Foster at May 21, 2008 1:13:25 PM
And here's one more way for the "experts" to control people. Only pregnant women in *certain western countries* "can't" eat a number of foods. I think that, as the aforementioned post details, "The risk appears minimal with good sanitation". Duh. If you have rotten lunchmeat that's all slimy and smells bad, sitting in your fridge - don't eat it. If you visit your local Baskin Robbins and notice that the bags of soft serve are laying on the floor (and you *CAN* see the floors behind the counter) then by all means - pass on it. Even if people are making their own home made ice cream, it can still be tainted with bacteria - any food anywhere always has the possibility that it may or may not be tainted with bacteria ... soft serve, sushi, lunchmeat, cheese, etc. Again - duh.
Posted by: Sarah at May 21, 2008 1:38:42 PM
Just another way infertility sucks: No ice cream for you.
I’m trying to convince my male coworkers to go to Baskin Robbins and claim sex discrimination and demand ice cream. They could even claim that their girlfriends are pregnant if they want to play that "we're pregnant" card. And the old coworker I told to claim age discrimination because, you know, he’s too old to have any more kids (and he’s a man).
Posted by: SarcastiCarrie at May 21, 2008 1:49:09 PM
I noticed the BR ad on Finslippy, when Alice was reeling from her m/c.
If I hadn't miscarried a couple of months ago, I'd be entitled to a free cone. Now, no dice. Thank goodness I wolfed down all the B&J in February. No sense in waiting for someone else to medicate me with food.
Posted by: Slim at May 21, 2008 2:31:39 PM
buy your ice cream in a store and from a big company. they can't afford to be dirty or their whole operation would be shut down.
Posted by: Jess at May 21, 2008 3:09:41 PM
Damn, if I had just gotten pregnant after either one of my recent IUIs I could be eating ice cream. I guess if I had known about the ice cream I would have just TRIED HARDER to become pregnant. Yeah, that's it.
Posted by: Muse at May 21, 2008 3:11:05 PM
Sucks to be an expectant mom waiting for a kid via adoption...no bump, no soft serve. And I don't even have to worry about the bacteria in my unique state of expectancy...
Posted by: Flicka at May 21, 2008 4:50:33 PM
You could always have a little kid with you to try the ice cream and see if they get sick first. :)
Actually, I used to work at a snack place that sold soft serve. It was frozen yogurt but I believe the machines are the same either way. It was N-A-S-T-Y! The closest we ever came to cleaning it was when we'd put a new flavour in the machine we'd run it long enough to get all of the old flavour out. The stuff came in these giant bags of liquid that you kept in the refridgerator because if it actually got frozen it wouldn't work in the machine. You cut open the bag and poured it into the giant metal bin inside the machine and it would suck it down and freeze it into the soft serve... if you were lucky. It would break a lot and then you'd get this gloopy not-frozen-enough stuff dripping out.
Posted by: Robyn at May 21, 2008 4:57:44 PM
Cashew Coliform is my favorite! I'm so glad they're bringing it back for the summer!
~C~
Posted by: Catharine at May 21, 2008 5:26:40 PM
Wait, this is promoting a new thing? They didn't have soft serve before, so the machines should be new and (theoretically) clean. Also, with cheese and lunch meats, I just wanted to point out that fully cooking before eating them is supposed to kill the bacteria. Of course you can't cook ice cream (or you can, but it takes the fun out of it). But if you have had cooked ricotta in a pasta dish, it should be fine. Same with fully cooked hot dogs, etc. Some sushi is fully cooked and others are veggie only, so if you're careful to only get certain types you can even have sushi. Hot dogs and lunch meat should be reheated to 160 degrees fahrenheit. Here's a link: http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancycomplications/listeria.html
As for the pizza, I have never heard that one before, and I spent weeks researching listeria online when I was pregnant. I wanted to know why I couldn't eat these things, which is how I found out that there are exceptions to those rules. I say if in doubt, ask your doctor (or the internet) for details.
Also, someone I know used to work at a cafeteria where they had soft serve and she said it's non dairy. Maybe that was just where she worked?
Posted by: bumblebeesmama at May 21, 2008 5:52:35 PM
The soft serve at my University was a non dairy concoction, but students still got sick. It appears they only cleaned the machine once in a blue moon, and it was never cold enough allowing for dangerous bacteria to grow. The other culprit was a hot cocoa dispensing machine, apparently cockroaches loved to nestle up to the warm cocoa bag inside the stainless steel housing, and occasionally one would fall into a cup....eeeew.
I have never understood the listeria hysteria myself. Worldwide I think the bacteria is responsible for about 8 deaths world wide, annually. Almost all of those deaths, like 90% are elderly people and the rest very young children. You are at an extremely slighter risk if you are pregnant, and you have an extremely slight risk of passing the bacteria on to your unborn child. You are far more likely to lose your child, statistically, by slipping in the bathtub or by being in a car accident..but you never hear of pregnant women being told not to shower or to stay out of their cars. Here in the US all of the milk you find in your grocery is pasteurized, as well as the milk in the soft cheeses. Deli meats are super processed and the animals are fed tons of antibiotics. Yet still, the US has a higher premature birth rate and infant mortality rate than countries in Europe where cheeses aren't pasteurized. I think high blood pressure due to worrying about what we should and shouldn't eat is to blame, personally.
Posted by: Chickenpig at May 22, 2008 9:03:24 AM
I have never, when pregnant or at any other time, eaten the revolting mixture they call soft serve 'ice cream'(sic)! Euch!
And I have never allowed any of my children to eat it either! They all got used to the rule that we would never buy this sort of 'ice cream', and just didn't ask, after a while.
Posted by: Brooke's M-I-L at May 22, 2008 9:07:30 AM
I wish they would have called it something else - I live in Indianapolis, so when I hear "Bump Day," I think of the specific day during Indy 500 qualifying reserved for setting the last row (positions 31-33) of the cars for the race. People can get in or be knocked out, based on their speed, hence "Bump Day."
But, if someone wants to offer free ice cream, they can call it whatever the heck they want.
Anyway - I worked at Wendys in college, where the glorious Frosty is nothing more than soft-serve chocolate ice cream. I broke that machine completely apart and washed and sanitized all of the parts every single night I closed, and that was 5 nights a week in the summer. No e. coli in my Frosty machine, thanks. That was standard procedure, too, so other closers did the same thing.
Posted by: Mazarin at May 22, 2008 11:32:35 AM
On the heels of your band-aid post, don't you find the marketing of this..um...appalling? I do. I mean maybe it's the infertile in me but really, even when I was pregnant I wouldn't have gone in for free ice cream. It's just a tacky offer! Plus, I feel bad for the employees. If someone is a little overweight and happens to order a cone is it up to the employee to figure out whether they're pregnant or fat? What about when you're not showing yet? How do you prove it? I just think they could have marketed to a different group of folks that included a wider range of people if they really needed to promote their prouduct. I find the whole thing super obnoxious.
Posted by: Plumsin at May 22, 2008 1:01:26 PM
HOLY CRAP! I knew nothing of this!! CRAZY!!
LOVE your blog!!!
- Audrey
Posted by: Audrey - Pinks & Blues Girls at May 22, 2008 1:17:15 PM
Dear Chickenpig,
I love you forever. Please marry me, even if I am an anonymous internet stranger.
Posted by: L. at May 22, 2008 2:31:09 PM
If this offer had been valid in Ohio? I would have taken my Follistim-bloated ass over there and told them I am expecting. I mean, I am expecting to expect at some point, right? And technically I am one week pregnant right now...a little pregnant counts, right?
Posted by: Jen at May 22, 2008 2:35:37 PM
Dear Chickenpig,
If you won't marry L would you consider marrying me?
Posted by: Cobblestone at May 22, 2008 3:19:01 PM
Off of the soft serve topic, but relevant to your blog...
I was watching Maternity Ward today because I am a glutton for punishment and the doctor comes sashaying in to this pregnant gal with sickle cell disease and says, "oh so this is your third child, huh? How exciting..." She responds with, "Ummm. No. This is my first child. I have been pregnant three times and the last baby died at two weeks old and I had a miscarriage." He said with not a hint of remorse, "Oh." and continues on to the Grandma, "So how does a lady so young looking have 10 grandchildren?"
No tact. Whatsoever.
Not infertile but still disgusted,
Amy
Posted by: Amy C. at May 22, 2008 4:03:48 PM
Coliforms?! I used to *love* coliforms as a kid! Oh, wait. Maybe that was Color Forms. Yeah, I think it was Color Forms.
Posted by: Bec at May 22, 2008 8:08:55 PM
I'm so glad you posted this because I swear to you last week I had an email half-written (to you) to beg you to say something about it. I think that because seeing the banner ad on just about every. damn. blog. (except yours) literally drove my secondarily infertile self to tears, I needed to hear someone say something sarcastic about it. And somehow, it turns out, you didn't even need to actually say anything. Just knowing you know about it pleases me.
And for what it's worth, last week I wrote a letter to BR telling them (1) they're alienating the one-in-ten women who struggle with infertility and (2) many doctors advise against the stuff for pregnant women. I stopped short of calling them dumbasses, but that was the subtext.
I wonder if I'll get a free cone coupon for my trouble.
Posted by: Karen at May 22, 2008 8:11:23 PM
I totally agree with you. People put such an importance on breastfeeding and if you don't do it you are a bad mother or not doing what is best. I kept pushing it and puishing with my daughter and she was getting thinner and thinner... so small and frail looking. Finally I stopped breastfeeding and turned to formula and she got healthy and put on weight. The doc informed me that some babies just don't like it and will only eat enough to keep them from being hungry. Even though I had months of breast milk in the freezer... she would never take it...from tap, bottle.... nothing. She just never liked it and Im glad I stopped when I did.
I will try with our next one, but people need to know that every situation and child in different. There is no blue print to raising children and is solid. Do what you think is best.
Posted by: Motherhood For Dummies at May 29, 2008 3:50:08 PM
