Haagen-Dazs Black Walnut Ice Cream - The Latest Flavor of the Month

Seeking to stop the rant that he's not really a front-runner but rather just the most recent political flavor of the month, candidate for the Republican presidential nomination Herman Cain has likened himself to Haagen-Dazs Black Walnut Ice Cream.  Stating that "it tastes good all the time," Mr. Cain makes the comparison to hopefully convince the populace that his straw poll popularity is as rock solid as an ever popular frozen treat and won't melt away just as the Republican caucuses heat up.  A devotee of coffee heath bar crunch, I'm not so sure that Cain's black walnut choice is going to get him anything but licked at the polls. 

Now, I must confess that I am not now nor have I ever been a fan of black walnut anything.  There's something about the bitter dryness that for me, delivers no joy.  My earliest memory of nut fondness goes back to 1961 when my family lived in Hawaii and macadamia nuts were abundant.  I still remember my brother stuffing a few into our baby sister's mouth the day my parents brought her home from the hospital (the very same hospital that President Obama was born in a few months earlier and yes, she too has a valid USA birth certificate).  From macadamias I progressed on to the red pistachios that my older sister would shell for me and then, the salted cashews that we picked out of the mix our parents served at parties.

Always open to new things and downright crazy curious about Mr. Cain's flavor analogy I set out to find out for myself what everyone else on the planet supposedly finds tasty, always.  First stop - Eddie's of Charles Village.  A quick look at the freezer revealed lots of Haagen-Dazs flavors but, no black walnut.  I inquired if maybe I just overlooked this enduring national fave.  Not at all.  Turns out Eddie's doesn't normally stock Haagen-Dazs Black Walnut.  They could possibly put in a special order for me.  I'm to return in a few days to see if it's doable.

Next stop, Eddie's in Roland Park.  No luck and no black walnut.  Thinking that a larger grocer might offer up more choices I hop over to the Giant on 33rd Street, make a bee line to the Rotunda Giant, zig to the Charles Street Safeway and zag to the Giant on York Road.  There's lots of vanilla, chocolate, strawberry...even something new called Blueberry Crumble. But, you guessed it, no Haagen-Dazs Black Walnut. 

Now aching to taste the thing that will most certainly fill the White House freezers should Mr. Cain pull this thing off, I go small but abundant and hit a series of 7-11's.  Nada.  Nothing.  I'm no political advisor but am starting to think that Mr. Cain should've just gone ahead and likened himself to Haagen-Dazs Chocolate.  Simple as his "9, 9, 9" plan but without the devilish details, a traditional flavor that's wildly popular and has staying power, not at all bitter.

With the gas tank running low, brilliance finds me.  The Haagen-Dazs website!  I go there and am tickled to find a search tool that conveniently helps you locate your favorite Haagen-Dazs product at a store near anywhere you happen to be.  Pick your flavor from a drop down list, plug in a zip code and BINGO!, you're on your way to Haagen-Dazs delight!

There's a problem though and Mr. Cain needs to know this - Black Walnut is not even included on the drop down list.  In fact, it's not mentioned anywhere on the Haagen-Dazs website.  This does not bode well for Cain's candidacy, I fear.

Confused as to how such a popular treat can go unheralded by its maker, I have sent Haagen-Dazs a note asking them to let me know if they still make black walnut and if so, where I might find a carton.  I'll let you know if and when I hear from them.

In the meantime, I'm wondering...if Mr. Cain is right and Haagen-Dazs Black Walnut Ice Cream tastes good all the time, why are all of our local grocers' freezers barren of it?  If it's a flavor so yummy it'll be at the top of shopping lists for all time thus appropriately symbolizing Cain's staying power, why can't I find it in cyberspace let alone locally?  If you find it, will you let me know?  Hopefully, you can get back to me before next month when there's certain to be a new flavor to hunt down.