Fun on Friday- The Ice Cream Man

When I was younger, there seemed to be nothing wrong with the neighborhood ice cream man. You know, the guy who drove around in the van and sold ice cream. Back in the day, my Mom would from time to time allow my brother and me to flag down the ice cream man and his van and purchase a frozen red, white and blue rocket pop or a nutty buddy or a classic ice cream sandwich.

Now, granted, it's decades later and times have changed. But I now see the ice cream man in an entirely different way than when I was a kid. Since my Mom is all about safety, I'm sure buying ice cream from the ice cream man seemed like an okay thing to do when I was a child. But in 2010?

Think about this:
1.Usually a van that cruises the local park looking for children is considered a bad thing. More like a "hey, call the police" kind of thing.
2. Under what other circumstances do we so freely allow our children to speak to strangers?
3. In what other scenario do we purchase food products of such unknown origin?
4. Do these guys have any certification from the health department?
5. Why is the van always a cargo van with no windows or if the van does have windows, why are they always covered with stickers?
6. Why were the guys in the ice cream van I saw at a park last week so rough looking, like they just got out of prison?
7. Where exactly do they get a copy of the carousel/calliope music they blast out of the loud speaker atop the van? That music has not changed in years.

Just something to think about the next time you see the ice cream man and his van drive through your subdivision or local park.