Chocolate vs vanilla ice cream. Please explain this...

[nile455]

My favorite flavor ice cream is chocolate. My parents' favorite flavor ice cream is chocolate. Same for my sister. When I take my 3 nieces and nephew out for ice cream they all get chocolate. When I go out to a Chinese restaurant with friends, most of them choose chocolate for their free dessert.

So how is it that vanilla is the overwhelmingly more popular flavor? According to the Food Channel, only 8% have chocolate as their favorite ice cream flavor compared to a whopping 29% for vanilla.

Where are all these vanilla people and why have I not encountered them?

 

[GAGirlInVA]

I'm a vanilla person. LOL

But then all four of my biological children appear to be left handed. I say appear because the baby is almost 11 months but appears to have a preference (and has for some time.) All the children have showed a very strong preference very young.

 

[fall08CP]

If I were doing toppings or on top of pie, I'd pick vanilla. Hot fudge on chocolate ice cream is too rich. But now I don't eat dairy so no ice cream for me

 

[LongLiveDisney]

Maybe that's just it. You haven't encountered them. I'm certainly a vanilla person!

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

My favorite flavor ice cream is chocolate. My parents' favorite flavor ice cream is chocolate. Same for my sister. When I take my 3 nieces and nephew out for ice cream they all get chocolate. When I go out to a Chinese restaurant with friends, most of them choose chocolate for their free dessert.

So how is it that vanilla is the overwhelmingly more popular flavor? According to the Food Channel, only 8% have chocolate as their favorite ice cream flavor compared to a whopping 29% for vanilla.

Where are all these vanilla people and why have I not encountered them?

I think the issue is that there aren't only 2 choices.

I think one way to think about it is that some people like their ice cream relatively plan, and other people like it with added flavor. There are more people in the latter category, but they're divided. Some people like plain chocolate, some people like chocolate chip, or mint chocolate chip, or rocky road, or fudge ripple, or butter pecan or . . . Now many or maybe even most of those people might choose chocolate ice cream over vanilla if that's the choice (like your free ice cream scenario), but because they'll all write down different flavors as their "favorite", vanilla ends up winning.

My favorite ice cream flavors are peppermint or Haagen Dazs Dulce de Leche or maybe mango sorbet. I also like vanilla, especially "French vanilla", in part because it tastes really good in a double scoop with any of the flavors above.

 

[kimblebee]

I prefer vanilla with chocolate sauce to straight chocolate. Won't eat plain vanilla though.

 

[skatalite]

Honest-to-God homemade vanilla is amazing. Vanilla bought in the store is usually lackluster.

But vanilla is so popular because it's a blank slate. At least that's what I think. I see a good chocolate ice cream as being good enough on its own. But vanilla just screams to have things added to it.

Here in the Midwest we have Braum's, a regional fast food/ice cream parlor chain that serves some of the best fast food burgers and ice cream I've ever had. When I go, I usually stick with their frozen yogurt, and I get the "twist," which is a mix of vanilla and chocolate.

 

[Silver Queen]

I'm a definite chocolate person, but do prefer my hot fudge sundaes with vanilla ice cream. As far as pie alamode is concerned I like chocolate ice cream with blueberry or strawberry rhubarb pie, but vanilla with apple pie.
I also agree with skalite's post.

 

[Maridw]

If I had to choose vanilla or chocolate, I would probably choose chocolate. That is only for ice cream. Give me a vanilla shake any day over a chocolate one. Vanilla shakes are just better than chocolate shakes to me.

 

[Hrhpd]

If I were doing toppings or on top of pie, I'd pick vanilla. Hot fudge on chocolate ice cream is too rich. But now I don't eat dairy so no ice cream for me

The So Delicious Dairy Free Coconut Milk ice cream is absolutely delicious. And I usually hate the he"fake" stuff. I love the Mint Chocolate Chip. My local grocery store and Wal-Mart carry it, so it is easy to find.

As for the OP, I would choose vanilla over chocolate every time. Chocolate is just too rich to put toppings on as a pp mentioned.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Vanilla. Especially all natural vanilla. It is used more easily as a vehicle for other flavors.

 

[nile455]

Okay so this makes sense. The statistics are skewed because of toppings.

I am wondering what the numbers would look like if you weren't allowed to order toppings/sauces.

 

[wdwmom0f3]

I prefer vanilla with chocolate sauce to straight chocolate. Won't eat plain vanilla though.

I'm the same way!! I love vanilla with different toppings. Without toppings I would choose chocolate.

Okay so this makes sense. The statistics are skewed because of toppings.

I am wondering what the numbers would look like if you weren't allowed to order toppings/sauces.

I'm guessing chocolate would win.

 

[SandrA9810]

.

 

[EMom]

I don't like chocolate that much in general and I really don't like chocolate ice cream. I'd take vanilla ice cream any day, with or without toppings. Vanilla is not my favorite flavor of ice cream, (Pecan Praline is) but I actually LIKE the flavor vanilla. Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla is excellent.

When we go to a Mexican restaurant that has free ice cream as a dessert, DH and I will choose vanilla and DD will choose chocolate. So if it's between chocolate and vanilla only, our house is 66.66% vanilla and 33.33% chocolate.

 

[Minerva Mouse]

I love a vanilla ice cream cone plain, soft serve! YUM! That's my go to treat right there!

 

[Christine]

I am a vanilla person all the way.

There are so many variations in vanilla and just tasting the different types is fun. I don't hate chocolate ice cream but I just find that many brands have a "mealy" mouth feel. If I do order chocolate ice cream, it usually has to be a "specialty" type with stuff added in. One that I used to love years ago was by Baskin-Robbins. It was a dark, dark chocolate ice cream that was so rich and creamy and had a real chocolate taste. Haven't been in B-R in years so I don't even know if they still have it.

 

[Allison]

Just because in your group of people chocolate is preferred doesn't mean the general population falls along the same statistics. Your sample size is too small.

60% of people in my family are left handed but it certainly isn't true that 60% of the population is left handed. The same people were are all born in October, again the general population doesn't follow those %'s.

 

[mamamary]

Choc. is my favorite over vanilla yet when I go out with the kids to get ice cream (we have a Cold Stone Creamery nearby that we love ) I always get the vanilla and add choc. toppings - syrup, choc. chips, etc.

 

[CaliBear]

I'm a chocolate person all the way, but my father is a vanilla fan. I asked him one time why he would chose vanilla over other flavors, and he said that if an ice cream company can get the vanilla right, it's good ice cream and he'll try their other flavors. If the vanilla isn't good, the ice cream is poor in his opinion. I guess that makes sense.