I realize that it may sound funny that I had to travel so far to find something which has apparently been under my nose for some time in the United States.
But sometimes fact is stranger than fiction, and it took me going all the way to Bali to discover the Magnum Gold.
Actually, technically, it's the "GOLD?! Magnum Ice Cream Bar". GOLD?! might, upon first thought, seem like a deeply stupid name. Truthfully, it did to me. But my tune has changed.
Because as it turns out, it's quite accurate to the experience of eating a bar. Because here's what happens, in simplified terms:
Step 1: You wonder "Gold? What's so gold about it?". Shake your head. It's just an ice cream bar, man.
Step 2: Open the bar and take a bite. Exalt as you take the initial bite and discover that the yellow chocolate covers dark chocolate, which gives way to ice cream with delicate swirls of salty caramel. Think, "holy sundae, is this good." Exclaim "GOLD!".
So really, the name does make a lot of sense after you try the bar.
The weird thing is that while they exist in the US, I had never heard of them. But apparently Bali has caught the news that something good is happening with this bar, because they are EVERYWHERE there. There are signs in the supermarkets for them, and they are a prominent offering at mini-marts, ice cream vendors, and food markets.
At the Padang Padang beach, there was even an ice cream vendor toting them in a cooler full of dry ice. My friend and teaching BFF in Bali, Jan, flagged him down and bought one. She offered to get me one, too, but I felt that the name was kind of stupid and declined, instead electing to pose for a photo in front of a particularly large rock.
But the moment I saw her dig into the treat, I knew I must have my very own. So later that day, at a pit stop on the way to Uluwatu, I grabbed my own Magnum Gold.
Upon first bite, I was hooked. Rich chocolate that melted in your mouth, with a satisfying white and dark chocolate flavor. The chocolate flavor subsiding into and melding with the creaminess of the inside. No mere vanilla bean ice cream in here--it was swirled with salted caramel. They were delicate swirls, but certainly they were the certain something that took the bar from "good ice cream truck offering" to "I want to eat my weight in this thing".
After I got a Magnum, many of my other Bali BFFs followed in kind. You see, it's the type of thing that you want once you see someone else eating it.
The experience made watching a beautiful sunset with monkeys all around even sweeter.
Thank you, Bali, for so much. But at this moment, thank you most for introducing me to my newest love. Because you know what they say: "Make new desserts, but savor store-bought, one is silver but the other's Gold."
Actually, nobody's ever said that until now, but the main point here is that you have to try this ice cream bar.
Love from Bali,
CakeSpy