Last night, we decided to treat ourselves to some gelato ice cream. The only gelato ice cream store that can be found in Suntec City was the one at Carrefour. There, we saw this little sign that said “OFFER! Flavour of the Month: Cookies and Cream $2.80/scoop”

Well, we thought, why not spoil ourselves silly? We decided to get a regular cup with two flavours. However, there were three (to-kill-for) flavours to choose from. (That being Double Chocolate, Chocolate Hazelnut and Cookies and Cream.) He wanted Cookies and Cream. I wanted Double Chocolate. So, it was settled.

Upon my first lick of the Cookies and Cream, I knew that it would not be a blissful ice cream eating session. Pray, why so? Because it freakin’ tasted of mint!

(A thing about me: I totally loathe mint ice cream.)

It did not occur to me until I studied my Cookies and Cream ice cream and realised that it was brown, with no signs of any cookie. Cookies and Cream ice cream is usually white with a lot of cookie/cookie crumbs. The display of that flavour showed brown ice cream with a little cookie crumbs sprinkled on top.

Not trusting my taste buds, I let him try that flavour.

“Hmm. Let me try the Double Chocolate.” I obliged him.

“The Double Chocolate tastes of chocolate. But that Cookies and Cream really taste of mint.” Aha! So my taste buds were working after all.

I badly wanted to approach the counter to have a confirmation on the Cookies-and-Cream-that-taste-like-mint flavour but he did not want to trouble them. I kept insisting and he finally relented.

“Um, excuse me?”
“Yes?”
“For your flavour of the month, Cookies and Cream, why does it taste of mint?”
She was taken aback at my question.
“Um, what do you mean?”
“I ordered Cookies and Cream but it really taste like mint.”
“Um, so how may I help you?”

How may you help me?! How about trying out that darn flavour yourself! You call this customer service?! You’re supposed to figure out how you can help me! What do you mean “How may I help you?”

?!?!!

“Oh, I was just wondering y’see…”
“We thought you might like some feedback,” he cuts in.

She checks the display and said:
“Well, the Mint ice cream is above the Cookies and Cream so maybe the Mint fell into the Cookies and Cream and so, it tastes like mint.”

I did not need to look at his face but I could tell that he was as flabbergasted as I was. What a lame excuse! Even so, Mint is obviously green. Even if a whole gunk of Mint ice cream dropped into the Cookies and Cream, it would only contaminate a part of it and not cause the whole flavour to taste of mint!

Seriously, did she think we were that dense?

Attempting to get a better response from her, I tried one more time.

“So, you don’t really know why it taste of mint?”

I waited, hoping that she could test that flavour or offer me a new cup of gelato ice cream.

“Uh, so how may I help you?”

That infuriating question again! I decided to drop it since I do not wish to actually retort “Well, how about a new cup of gelato ice cream?” even though I really wanted to. Even then, he would have pulled me away lest I started a tantrum in the middle of Suntec City.

“It’s okay,” he said. “Never mind.”

We left. I turned to have a last look of her and saw the bewilderment on her face.

I almost felt sorry for her.

—
EDIT: Thanks to Marz’s comments, I am reminded of my speculation:

Perhaps they were trying to disguise the Chocolate Mint as Cookies and Cream as the former isn’t selling too well and the expiry date for that flavour was looming nearer.