Obama: The Ice Cream [UPDATED! A LOT!]

Chadwick Matlin — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 20:45:00 GMT

Last night, after Barack Obama won Vermont, we called on our loyal readers to help us name an Obama ice cream flavor. Ben & Jerry's is famous for such flavors as Cherry Garcia (named for the Deadhead), Phish Food (named for the Dead successors), and Americone Dream (named for the not-dead Stephen Colbert), and if Ben & Jerry's delivered a victory for Obama, then it should also honor him with a taste of his own.

Plenty of you responded with riffs on Obama's name. Peanut Butter Barackle, Obamana Split, and Barackadamia Nut all raised a chuckle. But it was Aaron Nathan of Amherst, Mass., who really impressed. Eschewing Obama's name, he reached another level of ingenuity when he sent in his entry: "Yes, Pecan!"

Bravo, Aaron. Bravo.

Think you can beat it? Try us.

UPDATE March 6, 1:03 p.m.: The contest's original rules state that submissions of "Baracky Road" and "Obamaberry" will not be accepted. We've got to draw the line somewhere.

UPDATE March 6, 1:37 p.m.: A scandal is brewing! Accusations of foul play are swirling around the "Yes, Pecan!" entry. It appears the phrase was first coined on Obama's official blog. We dropped the ball on this by not Googling the phrase, where we would have seen the blog entry. Still awaiting word from Aaron Nathan.

UPDATE March 6, 2:31 p.m.: Aaron Nathan gets back to us with his side of the story:

Though I am disappointed to discover that I was not the first person to think of Yes, Pecan! (and how! That sure is a lot of pecan-talk on the Obama blog), it was an independent discovery, made spur-of-the-moment, Tuesday night in the Amherst College science library, where I was trying desperately not to do my reading for class.

We're trusting folk here at Trailhead, so we'll take him at his word. One last note, courtesy of Mr. Nathan, before we close this chapter:

P.S. I realize the weird way that being accused of plagiarism on an Obama-related matter fits into this campaign—perhaps some Trailhead research could unearth, for example, Deval Patrick’s as-yet undiscovered taste for pecans...

We have a source inside the Patrick administration looking into the matter. Seriously.

UPDATE March 6, 3:40 p.m.: Trailhead reader Gerrit H. mocked up the brilliant pint of ice cream you see above. Tremendous job all around, especially on the blue, red, and white scheme.

Also, several readers have e-mailed telling us that our East Coast bias is on display by thinking "Yes, Pecan!" rhymes with "Yes, We Can!" Down South, pecans are not pronounced pe-CAN, but puh-CAHN, according to Trailhead devotees (Trailheaders? Trailheadians? Trailheads?). Considering Obama adamantly believes in one America, we think he might be distressed by this development. As a result, we're looking for an alternate flavor for Ben & Jerry's stores below the Mason-Dixon. The front-runners are currently "Barackadamia Nut" and "Neopolitician." Got anything better? Let us know.

UPDATE March 10, 12:30 a.m.: Reader Craig Woodward points out that Cherry Garcia is not named after a Dead Head, but instead a member of the Dead. We should have known better and apologize for the misstep.

Trailhead : ice cream

Obama: The Ice Cream [UPDATED! A LOT!]