Office Hijinx

When it comes to conspicuous creemee consumption (and, let's face it, everything else really), I am not a woman known for her subtlety. During the recent spate of warm, sunny, gorgeous spring days, many of my office interactions have gone something like this: my friend Jonathan sends me an email about carpooling to a work function because it's the "green" thing to do. I reply, "Awesome. Are creemees green?"

If no such opportunity to slip creemees into a conversation presents itself, I've taken to stalking Jonathan at his desk, which is situated behind a floor-to-ceiling shelf of CDs. I sneak up and peer at him through the shelves, and start whispering loudly "creeeeeemeeeee....." until he gets his keys. If that doesn't work, I'll start mumbling and muttering about creemees to Dan, who has the formidable task of sharing an office with me.

It doesn't usually take much convincing, and we spent many a sunny afternoon last summer sneaking out to get creemees at Ray's Seafood, which is around the corner from our office. I took to calling it the Great Creemee Escape.* We did it so often I never bothered to blog about it, as I always figured I'd get the next one. So what better way to inaugurate the 2008 season than to report on Ray's Seafood?

Ray's is on the corner of Susie Wilson Road and Pinecrest Drive in Essex Junction. They have an outdoor creemee window in the front, which of course is always the preferred way to enjoy a cone. It's especially handy at Ray's Seafood, because as the name suggests, they sell seafood, so the inside of the restaurant smells heavily of fish. I like fish, but I'm not really a fan of smelling it.

Their cones are a bit small for the price. A baby will run you a dollar, but you get a cone a little bigger than a golf ball. The smalls are a good size for a weekday afternoon, maybe tennis ball-sized. They're about $1.60. Sprinkle application is good - not fantastic, and the consistency of the creemee is pretty good too, maybe a little grainy at times. They do offer sundaes and other concoctions, including that God-awful Flavor Burst gel, but loyal readers already know my biases when it comes to that.

All in all, Ray's serves up a decent creemee. Not the best I've ever had by a long shot, but it's convenient and hits the spot when you're stuck at the office on a nice day.

*I should note that we do not really have to slip out undetected. We rarely take lunch breaks, and our schedules are fairly flexible. However, I have been regaled with stories about staffers literally climbing out windows to get creemees under a former manager. In fact, I think it is my humble office window that facilitated the escapes!