It is once again the time of plaid, cowboy boots, and stetson hats. Every year, the Stampede attracts more than a million people from Calgary and beyond to enjoy rides, rodeo shows, and unique food. Unique is just one of the things I got when I tried the new Crazy Cone, a J-shaped corn-based tube filled with soft serve. The Calgary Stampede website describes the product as “Freshly made hollowed corn tubes, filled with brain-freezing soft serve ice cream. A low fat, gluten free treat like no other!” I hope I’m not the only one who gets overwhelmed by the amount of fried and fatty foods found at the midway. The combination of grease and heat always leaves me feeling groggy, a reason why I decided to go for something cold and (comparatively) healthy. So did it live up to expectations? Read on to find out.
The stand for the new midway treat is located in the north area of the midway where most food vendors are. Apart from the Crazy Cone, they also sell dessert nachos (would love to try that!) and slushies topped with soft serve. The Crazy Cone itself costs $5 and comes with either chocolate, vanilla, or swirl frozen yogurt and can be topped with sprinkles. I was feeling like a pretty plain treat so I opted for vanilla soft serve with no sprinkles.
I have to say, I had expected the corn tube to be less thick and more like a typical ice cream cone. It definitely surprised me when I first bit into it how thick the walls were and how hard and crunchy it was. I definitely would’ve preferred the product more if there was more room for soft serve inside the cone as I felt there was too much of it in comparison. Nevertheless, it is a good combination with the soft serve, which was definitely the best part. It was flavorful and sweet and paired well with the corn tube. The consistency of the soft serve is not like usual soft serves and seemed to be more icy than usual, but it was great nevertheless.
I have to admit I was a bit disappointed by the fact that the soft serve did not extend all the way throughout the cone, and as I was finishing it, I was left with a hollow corn tube that didn’t taste all that terrific on its own.
Despite this fact, I thought that the Crazy Cone was a very interesting midway food that had people going up to me to ask where I got it from. If you’re looking for a unique and comparatively cheap way to cool down this Stampede, the Crazy Cone is worth a try!
All opinions are my own.