Wowfulls on the Lower East Side

Am I the only one who feels overwhelmed trying to keep up with all of the themed celebrations that come up these days? Like National Donut Day, National Puppy Day, National Siblings Day (which I swear happens at least three times a year), or International Bacon Day (I thought I made this one up, but Google told me it’s coming up on September 2). It’s all way too much.

And yet… when I learned yesterday was National Ice Cream day, it seems I had a change of heart and felt this was one themed day I should get behind. What perhaps made my change of heart even easier was that Wowfulls on the Lower East Side was celebrating National Ice Cream Day by serving up their ice cream creations at a discount.

What the heck is that goodness you see in the photo above?

Wowfulls describes it this way: “We serve 1950’s-style Hong Kong egg waffles also known as Gai Dàn Jai. The taste and texture of our Gai Dàn Jai — crispy on the outside, soft and sweet on the inside, was once only found in the streets of Hong Kong. We’ve cultivated that awesomeness here.”

And we thank them for it. Once you pick the flavor egg waffle you want (original, chocolate or coconut), you can then pick your ice cream flavor, up to three toppings, and a drizzle on top.

Now, thanks to the marketing magic of Facebook, I was in no way the only person who knew about this Wowfulls ice cream celebration, and so when I arrived, I was shocked to see a line of at least 150 people, wrapped around the block. 

Thankfully, the wait was made much better by the fact that I had company — my new friend, Jesse (who I know from church), met me there and helped me rally to the finish. Since he’s a new friend, we got in line, and he said, “Start at the beginning.” And after I told him a bunch of stuff about my life–from where and how I grew up to my journey with faith to how Jordan and I met–I got to hear all about his life too. And anyone who knows me knows long talks spent hearing another person’s story are kind of my jam. Head nod to the ‘Storied’ part of this blog’s name.

After three hours in line, I finally had my Wowfull in hand, and it was like I’d developed a legit camaraderie with everyone who had been in line near me (those ladies you can see through the window above are my people). We’d been in the trenches together. And no exaggeration, I was high-fiving people on my way out, doing the absolute most.

Jesse and I tore those wowfulls up! I opted for an original waffle with Captain Crunch cookies & cream ice cream, strawberries, whipped cream, and a little bit of condensed milk drizzle. His had their special new flavor — speculoos ice cream, whipped cream, white chocolate chips, and some Teddy Grahams chillin’ on top.These were good!

Even if you’re over all of the themed days or you missed National Ice Cream Day, I say you should still consider this: make time in the near future to find someone you don’t know so well and ask them to “start from the beginning.” To hear their story. About where they’re from. Who their parents are/were. How life surprised them. Who they love. How they’ve failed. What they hope to become.

It can be over a three-hour dummy mission for ice cream or over some other random adventure in your town or city.

But either way, I suspect it will be worth it.