I’ve always been a purist when it comes to ice cream. No goppy chocolate sauce with peanuts and whipped cream for me. Just give me the real stuff.

For as long as I can remember ice cream has been my comfort food. From the 5-cent Creamsicles and Fudgicles  of my childhood to the super-high-butterfat premium ice cream that is my preference today, I just can’t resist  my favorite dessert.

For my birthday during my sophomore year in college, my friends made a scavenger hunt for me. Each clue led to a spot in our dorm that had a gift certificate for a pint of ice cream at our favorite ice cream parlor. I’ve asked a few college friends if they remember its name. No one does. But they all remember its delicious ice cream.  I remember feeling so ill from overeating one of those pints of ice cream that I literally stuck a spoon down my throat one late evening. I’ll skip the details. By the way, there’s a Ben and Jerry’s in that location now.

I’m more responsible in my ice-cream eating today. For example, my portions are more reasonable, and it is very rare for me to indulge more than once in the same day. In fact, during the workweek when we tend to eat dinner at home, only every other night is an ice cream night. But it has to be premium. It has to be coffee. And it has to be Starbucks.

Yes, I have had my disloyal moments brought on by seasonal flavors such as fresh peach, or maybe I’ll have ginger after Chinese food. And I indulged in an unforgettable key lime pie cone in Ipswich, Massachusetts last summer at the ever-popular White Farms Ice Cream drive-in.

One of my all-time favorite spots where I didn’t keep to my once-a-day rule is a tiny gelato stand located in Orvieto, Italy. You’ll find it if you stand facing the front entrance of the magnificent Orvieto Cathedral and walk down the street on the left side.

I asked Peter why he thinks I am so content after a bowl of Starbucks coffee ice cream.

“Because it’s delicious,” he replied.