The Gracious Gift of Gelato Restored (Plus More Tender Morsels)
by Jeff Lindsay
Following
up on my last post about being deceived and disappointed by
"apostate" gelato in a Shanghai gelato shop that went
rogue, I'll share some great news: I've found the real thing at last!
After
I sent an email to the owner of a gelato brand in Shanghai about my
disappointing experience in the rogue shop and their need to take
legal action to protect their brand from being tarnished, the owner
invited me to come to the mother store at 434 Shaanxi South Road in
Shanghai's beautiful French Concession area.
A serendipitous birthday
I
did so on a free day as wife and I were between running errands and
meeting people (we have a wonderful, overflowing social life in
Shanghai unlike anything I've ever experienced before). We were
warmly greeted by the store manager and marveled at the contrast
between what we could see in front of us and what we had seen in the
rogue shop.
The
difference in taste was even more impressive. Gelato is not just
another name for ice cream. There are large differences in method of
preparation, the ingredients, and even the temperature it is served
at.
Not just another ice cream
Gelato
is more like a rich, very thick fluid rather than the fluffy solid of
common ice cream. It takes skill and artistry to make it right, and
what a delight it was to encounter real gelato once again. Ahhh!
We
ordered some gelato after sampling several heavenly flavors. I
ordered a small cup with a little pistachio flavor and a little
blueberry yogurt. The small cup was packed to hold about as much as
possible, nearly overflowing with goodness, unlike the miserly,
well-below-the-rim portion I received in a cup of the same size at
the rogue shop.
Two flavors, both unforgettable
Both
flavors were unforgettable. To my dismay, though, after we received
the gelato, the manager refused to take our payment. "It's
free," she said. "Orders from the Big Boss." Those
were her words, spoken in English. The gift of free gelato, courtesy
of the Big Boss. What a delicious lesson on grace.
It
was my birthday, but they didn't know that in giving me this perfect
birthday gift on a little birthday adventure.
In
this land of constantly puzzling coincidences, we had a similar
experience at our next stop, Shanghai's supremely delicious
Cinnaswirl shop near beautiful Jingan Temple (not currently an LDS
temple, by the way), where an LDS couple is producing super cinnamon
rolls that have people lining up for more.
Cinnaswirl in Shanghai
We
wanted a dozen for a dinner event we would have the next day, and
were lucky to get the last nine they had at the moment. For some
reason, the owner refused payment, deciding to give us a gift that
day, not knowing it was my birthday.
Nine
big cinnamon rolls worked out fine, being plenty for our dinner with
six guests the next day. Grace upon grace, with more tender morsels.
Grace upon grace, with more tender morsels
True
gelato has been restored to our lives. We have been the recipient of
wonderfully kind, gracious gifts.
At
the obvious risk of trivializing that which is unimaginably profound,
I feel the same way, though more strongly, about the many gifts
involved in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
It's
delicious above all and worth the search, worth the wait, worth
whatever sacrifice may be required, for it is a gift of infinite
worth that is given to us freely, if we will accept it in a covenant
relationship, courtesy of the Son of God and the Big Boss/grand
Father in Heaven above.
Jeff Lindsay has been defending the Church on the Internet since 1994, when he launched his
LDSFAQ website under JeffLindsay.com. He has also long been blogging about LDS matters on
the blog Mormanity (mormanity.blogspot.com). Jeff is a longtime resident of Appleton,
Wisconsin, who recently moved to Shanghai, China, with his wife, Kendra.
He works for an Asian corporation as head of intellectual property. Jeff and Kendra are the parents of 4 boys, 3 married and the the youngest on a mission.
He is a former innovation and IP consultant, a former professor, and former Corporate Patent
Strategist and Senior Research Fellow for a multinational corporation.
Jeff Lindsay, Cheryl Perkins and Mukund Karanjikar are authors of the book Conquering
Innovation Fatigue (John Wiley & Sons, 2009).
Jeff has a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Brigham Young University and is a registered US
patent agent. He has more than 100 granted US patents and is author of numerous publications.
Jeff's hobbies include photography, amateur magic, writing, and Mandarin Chinese.