Wednesday, commonly referred to as the Hump Day, was quite beautiful this past week. I wanted to return to the UWS Shake Shake and once more have a concrete with the Banana-Graham Caramel Compote. And so I did.
Once more, I used Vanilla Custard as a base, and I added almonds for flavor, crunch, and fun. Some thoughts...
- I feel pretty certain that Shake Shack has changed their sizing. Recently, I've noticed they have Regular and Half. I doubt I've gone the last 7 years simply not noticing this, so I am deducing that the addition of a Half size is new. However, I am also of the impression that the size of the Regular is different than what was formerly their only size, and I am also of the impression that Regular is in fact smaller than what was formerly their only size. You might imagine that I am quite upset with this, lover of creams that I am. However, I must say, the new Regular size seems appropriate. In the past, I've actually felt the concretes are a bit too large. Indeed, there can be such a thing as too much of a good thing.
- When I initially perceived my concrete, I was concerned that the mix-ins were too "top heavy." In other words, I was concerned that the mix-ins were not - how do I put this delicately - mixed in. Granted, we might say that it's acceptable for a concrete to have a higher proportion of the mix-ins on top, although we still want plenty to be diffused throughout the treat. I started devouring my pleasure, and I was soon relieved to find that indeed there was ample diffusion. I was also relieved to find that the concrete was every bit as good as I remembered it.
- I started noticing that I was placing the contents from my spoon in the left portion of my mouth. Why not the right? Why not the center? In a way, this relates to the diffusion of mix-ins. If I want my mix-ins dispersed, why should I not disperse the general situation into my mouth at large? What sort of effect does this have on the taste and experience?
Cream is indeed an infinitely complex topic.
