thing that kind of irks me number 278

I spent the whole day strolling around the Haight Street fair. I live quite near it so I just walked down and saw the sights. I bought a book of Sylvia Plath poems, listened to a few bands, chatted with a local poet who wrote a poem for me, danced, checked out drug paraphernalia, and generally had a really great time. I even loved what I was wearing, and since I was wearing a skirt, this is rare (I generally hate skirts). I had a hippie band around my head and my favorite tshirt on (a Sunset Rubdown band shirt). So as you can see, it was a pretty wonderful day.

However, one aspect to the day really ticked me off. Halfway down my walk of Haight street, I passed Ben and Jerry's on the corner of Haight & Ashbury. Prime business location, especially for an ice cream company that claims to be as independent and free loving as the hippie man himself, Jerry Garcia (they even have a flavor for him). Going to college in Vermont, people often ask me if I've been to the Ben and Jerry's factory or if I eat it all the time. The answer to both questions is no, but this is besides the point. The point is that today, I really wanted a cup of my favorite flavor "Imagine Whirled Peace." So I went in. And almost immediately, my heart sunk. Why? This is why:

"Regular cup: $4.50".

What the flying FUCK?
$4.50 for one minuscule cup of ice cream? Look, I know Ben and Jerry's is good and all but...seriously?

Ben and Jerry's claims, through advertising and the general conduct of their company and employees, that they are a essentially a liberal industry of Vermont hippies who just want to make some ice cream. The use of the images of John Lennon and Jerry Garcia plus all the peace signs that adorn their locations make us no stranger to this fact. We get it. You're hippies. Ben and Jerry were nature loving hippies. Awesome. Then why, you alternative thinking vegetarians, are your prices at ridiculous highs? Ones that a normal, mid income American would probably not splurge for on most days, especially in this economy.

I understand we're in a recession. Everyone is dying to make money and prices have soared overall. But out of all the price rises I've seen, this one is the most ridiculous. Worse than Mel's Diner (and that one was bad). I bought a regular cup of ice cream and I got one scoop of one flavor. One scoop for $4.50. It seems like the only way Ben and Jerry's can make money off of this is through the fact that their flavors are so obscure and copyrighted that sometimes you can't get that one you crave anywhere else (see flavors "Phish Food", "Chunky Monkey", "Cherry Garcia", and "Half Baked").

I just can't understand how such a cute, honest, wonderful company like Ben and Jerry's could turn into such a corporate frenzy fest, even if they've been bought out by Nestle (evil evil people). I don't see Ben or Jerry standing for this kind of thing. A shake for $6.50? Oh my god, no way. Even just a chocolate shake? Not to mention Ben and Jerry's have totally bought into the stupid trend of fruit smoothies; they have, like, 15 flavors. Just like Starbucks and Tullys have done. Let the smoothie places handle it people (ahem, Jamba Juice). They know what they're doing. See, this is where I think communism could almost work: you make this and stick to that, and they'll make that and stick to that and you won't worry about competition.

I hate thinking about Ben and Jerry's having ridiculously high prices because it makes me think more and more about this: if rebellion is now "cool" and "in", and everyone is doing it together, mutually enjoying it, then how is it rebellion at all now? If Ben and Jerry's are charging us four bucks for a small thing of ice cream, how are we fighting back the man? By paying a lot for ice cream, just because their walls are painted with cute cows in green rolling fields (OH VERMONT HOW I MISS YOU.) ? In the end it all goes back to that big bad wolf of a corporation, Nestle.

Thank God for the Ben and Jerry's Foundation (http://www.benjerry.com/company/foundation/). At least I know now and then they are reaching out. But Ben, Jerry...come on guys. Please don't let this happen entirely to you too. Or else Naked Juice or Timbuk2 bags could be next.