Freshman Fifteen

While in Phoenix a few months ago, I was taken to a self-serve frozen yogurt shop. This place was like an ice cream lovers dream. There were probably about twenty different flavors. Everything from fruity to nutty to chocolate-y to coffee-y, etc. In addition was an incredible slew of toppings. More than you could ever imagine. You mix and match whatever feels right. And when you’re done building your monstrosity of a masterpiece––all happy and proud––you swank on over to the weighing station where you pay for your heavenly creation by the ounce. (And while you felt like a pig when you were loading your paper cup with five different flavors of yogurt and heaping on all your favorite toppings, you really want to say Oink! when you see the price you have to pay for your nearly one pound cup of deliciousness).

I’ll interject here that just because frozen yogurt is yogurt, doesn’t mean it’s without calories. While dorm food and alcohol may have been the culprits in my weight gain as a Freshman at the University of Oregon, they weren’t working alone. Consider YoCream the getaway driver. While frozen yogurt was an absolute necessity after eating dinner at Carson Dining Hall, sometimes I’d go way over the top and bring in my own pint size to-go cup. I’d fill that puppy to the brim (maybe even a little more) with layers of chocolate vanilla swirl and Oreo cookie crumbles. Yum!

Hey!… it’s only yogurt... That was my justification.

Well, truth is: yogurt may be less fatty, but it still has all the sugar and all the calories. Not to mention, three servings of dairy a day is all the body could possibly need. One pint is really enough. So, if you want to eat a pint of frozen yogurt a day, you’ve got to adjust your diet and activity level to accommodate for those extra calories. It’s just the way it is.

But going back to this frozen yogurt shop in Phoenix… the moment I set foot in the joint, I was in heaven and only wishing that a shop like this existed in Portland. Well, recently came to find that one does. In fact, I’ve been by it a million times since it opened a little over a year ago but never realized the extent of what it was. I thought it was a normal frozen yogurt shop like TCBY. Not a self-serve. This makes all the difference in the world. There’s just so much satisfaction and fulfillment in creating your own. No limitations on what you can combine and how much of each thing you can have. God––Yes!

If you like the DIY concept (Do It Yourself), go to:

Swirl
SE Hawthorne & 35th

They rotate out their flavors, which is a cool concept. Although, I suppose it could be sad if you have a favorite that suddenly disappears…
Well, at least it will push you to explore.

As I’ve read in some reviews, it’s a tad more expensive than other frozen yogurt shops around town. But, price is really no object when it comes to ice cream (gelato, frozen yogurt).

Swirl’s frozen yogurt is made by YoCream International, a local Portland company. And though it would be cool if they had reusable bowls and spoons for sit-down customers, at least they’ve made a green attempt by using paper bowls and biodegradable spoons (made of corn starch, the quality of these things is superb…that’s a topic for another time though).

I wish you the best with your exploration of Swirl! Try to contain yourself though... it can be unkind to your waistline!