Creating a Monster

Last night we had everyone over to help with a project. Once the work was done, Bruce turned to me and said, "Do I smell Rita's?" I turned to Aaron and David and repeated the questions. We concurred; Rita's was in the air.

I feel as if I haven't given Rita's the blog-love it deserves. I mentioned Rita's in one post a while back, but more is needed. It all started in the summer of 2007...

Squiggly lines down the screen

Matt & Honor had just moved to Philadelphia from Michigan. Early on they noticed a fair number of people lining up at a little store/stand near their home. The store was called Rita's and they sold water ice. One visit had them hooked. When we visited them a few weeks later, they introduced us. My wild cherry ice mixed with custard was a dream.

Rita's ice is basically Italian ice. You can buy a cup of ice in one of three sizes, or you can order a combined treat that includes the one other thing they sell: custard. The gelati starts with custard, your choice of ice is added, then it's topped with more custard. A misto combined liquid custard with ice. A blendini is frozen custard and ice blended together. Oh, and you can get plain custard.

While we were in Minnesota last August, we received a phone call from David. Bonnie's sister lives up near Philly, and David & Bonnie were introduced to Rita's on a trip up there. They were equally enamored of the stuff. "You won't believe where I am. Rita's!" "You're not in Philly, are you?" "No, we were driving to Chik-fil-A to get shakes (oh, I need to post about Chik-fil-A shakes) and saw a sign: Now Open, Rita's Herndon." "You've got to be kidding me. Rita's? In Herndon?" "Yes. We're here right now!!!"

When we flew back to Virginia we stopped by Rita's on our way home from the airport. It was bliss. Quickly, we established the tradition of going to Rita's every Monday night for Family Home Evening with our friends.

Squiggly lines down the screen - back to the present

We walked into Rita's and the owner, who we know by name, was behind the counter. We ordered three quarts of ice and one quart of custard. "When you buy four quarts, you get a free cooler bag. If you bring the bag back it's buy-three-get-one-free." David proudly walked out of the store carrying the bag.

Back at home we dug into the ice and started playing some Mario Kart Wii. (Important link for all Mario Kart Wii-ers.) Aaron brought over two Mario Kart wheels, so David, Aaron, Bruce, and I went head-to-head. After being mocked for not having a larger TV, we had a great time racing around. After Bruce & Julie went home David, Aaron, and I continued playing. David got really into the game. Aaron turned to me at one point and said, "Have we created a monster? Is David going to be bothering Bonnie to buy a Wii?" I hope so.

Once Aaron got home, he and I tested out the online racing. Not without a few bugs, the online play is great fun. I beat Aaron in every race. Poor Aaron. Maybe if Bruce and David get Wiis we can play online a few nights a week.

Now if Zachariah would only get his Mario Kart Wii up and running...

NOTE: If you have Mario Kart Wii and want to do online play, drop me an e-mail and I'll send my friend number.