Jeff for America

I guess it’s not really that surprising. Back home, I would always drag my dad to to our only frozen yogurt place – a small, family owned shop called Tigers. I got the Low-fat Oreo every time. I would order it in a small to-go cup because I knew they didn’t have lids for the small size, so I would get an upgrade to medium without charge. Then I would just sit outside and eat it. Kind of manipulative. Actually, really manipulative. I wouldn’t do that today. No, no, no. I would get the Xtra large size and eat it all. You see, I have some to the realization that I, Jeff Manassero, am addicted to frozen yogurt.

You can’t blame me – it’s kind of hard to avoid these days. There has been a literal proliferation of frozen yogurt joints all over the United States. I feel qualified to say this because I experienced the  yogurt craze back home in Berkeley and Sacramento and then in Philly and now in D.C. If I had any sense I’d go into business – I swear that yogurt is the new Starbucks. The most popular places let you self-serve and add your own toppings. You just pay by the ounce and have complete control. Others are more controlling, but they all operate on the same basic model: you choose your yogurt (flavors range from tangy fruits to chocolate varieties) and toppings (anything from raspberries to coconut shavings). It doesn’t sound revolutionary, but it is. You see, you can mix and match all you want – the possibilities are nearly (just nearly) infinite. And most of the flavors are low or non-fat, so the guilt associated with a heavy dessert is out of sight and out of mind.

I’ve been to three different frozen yogurt shops in D.C. so far and have a list of places to go when I get back to Philly. Just to prove my point – I snapped a picture of the local yogurt shop’s to-go truck that parks all over Georgetown to feed the yogurt crazed residents and students. They don’t even expect me to walk 3 blocks to their actual store. Did I mention they deliver?

My favorite mix-n-match (in case you want to try): Original Tart yogurt + raspberries + almonds + chocolate shavings. I call it heaven.

- Jeff