Ben and Jerry's is making a D.C.-flavored ice cream, with the Internet's help.
Based on votes on the ice cream maker's
City Churned site, plus based on some voodoo from various D.C. happenings and social media posts, the company will decide what flavor to make the ice cream.
For example, every time a Red line train arrives at Metro Center on time, Ben and Jerry's chalks up one vote for cherries as a mix-in. Conversely, every on-time Orange line train at Metro Center is a vote for bananas.
Foursquare check-ins at law firms are a vote for crunchy potato chips, and check-ins at government buildings are a vote for a cinnamon swirl. And so forth.
The currently leading ingredients are a rather scary mishmash of flavors. If the ice cream is made with the flavors as they stand right now, D.C. tastes like chocolate ice cream with chunks of chocolate, caramel and cinnamon swirls, and waffle cone pieces, marshmallow, and cherry.
As The Atlantic Cities' Henry Grabar
says, "It's unclear if these flavors will ever be widely distributed. Judging by their composition so far, I'd wager they won't."