Sun on your Chinny Chin Chin

It might have taken 6 months, but finally the skies have cleared and the sun has decided to rear its beautiful face amidst the pasty arms, legs, shoulders, faces, necks, hands, and feet that make up the English populous. I give these folks a lot of credit though. They wear their fair skin proudly. Short shorts and cutoff tanks for girls, and apparently, shirts optional for guys. Not only that, but the many parks of London transform into big old pale exhibition-fests, with one ghost-like figure more naked then the next! It was like a real-life Rubens painting, lumpy fair-skinned crowd and all. While I enjoyed the scene in the moment, my favorite part might have come when the sun went down, riding the tube later that evening, and seeing all the metamorphosed lobster people staring back at me. Bring on the aloe vera, these English folks will be hurting for days!!

So, in honor of the recently sprung Summer-time weather, I wanted to post about the savory sweet that is Chin Chin Laboratories. What is Chin Chin you may ask? Well, take your good old periodic table of elements and slam it full force into the refreshing, milky dessert you know and love. You guessed it - Nitrogen ice cream.

Located in the heart of the grungiest hipster neighborhood of London, Camden Market’s Chin Chin Labs is Europe’s first nitro ice cream parlor where the scientists behind the counter create icy deliciousness using liquid nitrogen. I’m not going to try and explain the process but from what I remember from AP Chem, liquid nitrogen is very very cold. How’s that for a public school education?

Nitrogen.

Cold.

Will freeze things.

My AP Chem teacher, Mrs. Silver, would be so proud. (or rather Mrs. Ag, the periodic symbol for silver – funny enough, her maiden name was Au-stein or Goldstein for those not so chemically inclined. Au became Ag! That joke writes itself right there!)

I was recommended the basil chocolate chip (pronounced Baaaa-sil, like the sound a sheep makes), which is their take on mint choco chip. I was not disappointed. I know it sounds like a strange combination, herb flavored ice cream, but trust me it was good. Topped it off with some chocolate syrup and white chocolate chips and you had one satisfied science eater. Move over Friendly’s sundaes!! The pale ones’ nitro ice cream is here to stay!

English word of the day: Sun cream = a special English lifeline used to preserve the aforementioned condition which has run rampant throughout the UK. Also known as pastiness. Be careful not to miss a spot!