This review sponsored by Ashley Campbell, a friend from High School. She is in San Francisco going to school and pursuing her dreams.
Let me start this review off by saying that there is no better place (that I have experienced so far) to people-watch than from the sidewalk seating of the Ghirardelli chocolate shop on 5th Avenue, San Diego.
The atmosphere is perfect, and the light rays of sun that beam down through the gaps between the buildings around the sidewalk-seating outside make the temperature perfect as well.
As you first walk into the Ghirardelli building, you will likely immediately be offered a sample. I think this is an interesting, and possibly counter-effective tactic. I figure, if you’re walking into a chocolate shop, you’re looking to buy chocolate. The tactic must work, though, as Krispy Kreme as well.
In any case, I refused the sample, as I was looking for a “World-Famous Chocolate Fudge Sunday”, and nothing else.
I stepped up to the counter proudly and ordered my hot-fudge sunday.
I was given a number to put on the table I chose. I like this scheme, it allows you to pay for your meal before you get it (which prevents surprises at the end of the meal) and still choose your seat.
I chose a seat outside. My seat wasn’t particularly well-placed in the sun-area, so I was a bit chilly. It was still quite pleasant.
I had just opened up my notebook to begin writing a note when the sunday was delivered. It was HUGE.
The top layer was mostly whip cream, the middle layer vanilla ice cream (with a good bit of melted hot fudge dripped over the scoops of ice cream), and the bottom was mostly the overflowed chocolate fudge.
As I started eating the whip-cream, layer by layer, I began to get a sensation I hadn’t felt in a week, it was tasting something sweetened by refined sugar.
Something was different this time, though. Where I used to feel a jolt of excitement, taste-buds dancing happily, I felt, instead, a sort of nausea.
I tried the ice-cream. It was surprisingly watery, again, the more I ate, the more nauseous I felt. What was going on?
It took me a while, but I finally began to realize what was going on.
As I have spent the last two weeks on a “new” diet. No refined sugar products (this means: fruit juices, sodas, pastries, candy, ice cream, etc. are out of the picture) have entered my body all week. I am taking Saturday off, which is the “anything goes” day, and that was the day I got my sunday.
The natural affect of this sort of diet, is that once sugar exits your body completely (just like crack or alcohol) you never crave it again. A memory of things you may have experienced WHILE enjoying, say a sunday with your Mother in San Francisco, or something, do stick. These are what create false-cravings later on, even after the drug has excited your body.
I no longer craved, or enjoyed sugar, I realized with something akin to panic.
Nevertheless, I tried my hardest to look at the sunday objectively from a “sugar-eater’s” point of view. I can imagine the ice cream tasting fantastic combined with some hot fudge, especially after a long day of walking and exploring the city.
The experience of Ghirardelli is one no serious ice-cream lover should pass up. I might recommend trying the Banana Split if you like fruity tastes, and the Gold Rush if you are particularly into chocolate.
Thank you Ashley for sponsoring the review of this sunday. Even if it mostly made me realize that sugar no longer is a necessary in my diet.
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Good post. Liked the pics. Interesting how your body is reacting to no sugar most of the time. Thanks for sharing that too. “Hi” to Ashley.
I’m sorry that it wasn’t enjoyable as you might have wanted it to be, but I’m glad the experience was nice! Hi to your Dad =)
Just wanted to say you spell it “ghirirdelli” in the post every time, but look at the top picture.
Good point. Fixing now. Thanks for pointing that out Robin.