“...anything less than the best is a felony -- now that the party is jumping. With the bass kicked in, the Vegas are pumpin quick to the point, to the point, no faking. I’m cooking MCs like a pound of bacon...”
“Ice Ice Baby” by Vanilla Ice has to be one of the coolest one-hit-wonder tunes ever made. To this day, it is among my favorite songs and while I know many of you are probably either laughing or shaking your heading going “She can’t be serious!” right now -- I would still bump this song in my car (if I had a car) with no shame in the world.
Maybe it’s the beat or the image of Mr. Ice’s funny hairdo, I don’t know -- the song just makes me feel cool and want to move. If the unseasonably warm Spring we’re having this year is any indication of what’s in store for the Summer, then many of us across the country probably will likely try to limit our movements in an attempt to find coolness on an entirely different level.
So with that in mind, nothing says cool like an ice cream truck -- especially one that looks like it came straight out of an episode of MTV’s “Pimp My Ride.” Comedian-actor Faizon Love actually pulled this look off in his role as a drug dealer named Big Worm in the comedy “Friday,” starring Chris Tucker and Ice Cube -- go figure!
In “Friday,” Big Worm replaces the happy-go-lucky jingles that ice cream trucks are known for, with loud obnoxious hip-hop music, yells at his customers despite the fact that they are kids and he also sells more than ice cream from his little neighborhood food truck. While Big Worm’s behavior may not be something you’d want to emulate, his automotive style could make your next block party or family reunion an event to remember.
Inspired by Big Worm in “Friday,” pimp an ice cream truck for a large summer barbecue or related event. Replace the wheels with rims, play some wild music, paint it in neon colors, use graffiti similar to that in Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby” music video to design the exterior of your automobile or share the fun and the work -- turn this task into a group activity where each member of your family is assigned to one part of the vehicle to pimp out in any way they desire. This may work better if implemented for family reunions or related gatherings where food is being served to large groups of people.
In a family reunion setting, you could also setup several pimped out food trucks (if it takes place outdoors, such as in a park) featuring a design that is based on one of your favorite movies, but the truck should have a nickname with some swagger to it. A former associate that I used to work with was once referred to as L-Dizzle, which was a play on her name -- Lauren. So using this old nickname and the “Friday” theme, she could serve "L-Dizzle Ice Cream Pops" from her pimped out food truck today.
Each truck at your family reunion could be assigned to one specific food item and they do not have to be specifically related to ice cream. In fact, you don’t even have to pimp out an ice cream truck, so long as you decorate some kind of large vehicle. There is a woman in Philadelphia who turned her passion for baking into a cupcake business called the Buttercream Cupcake Truck. She drives around Philly selling cupcakes out of a recycled postal truck, to people on the sidewalk.
So, consider going wild and crazy when serving food at your next family gathering. Hey, our former King Dong Rupert Grint aka Mr. Ron Weasley himself has an ice cream truck called Mr. Whippy -- maybe it's time for you and your family to get hip to the game, this summer!
What would YOU name YOUR food truck?
What variety of food would YOU serve to visitors?
How would YOU pimp the truck out?