Twenty scoops of ice cream, four bananas, three cookies, one brownie, four ladles of hot fudge and four additional toppings. All smothered with tons of whipped cream.
You have just met Ben and Jerry's infamous Vermonster, found in colossal, seven-inch-tall buckets.
These monsters will be visiting the Quad this evening. At 5:30, residents from Metcalf and Lefevre dormitories will congregate outside to meet their nemesis.
Sixteen teams of six people each are meeting in the Quad for an ice cream eating contest. Each team paid a $30 participation fee, and all proceeds are being donated to Madison House.
This unique charity effort is the brainchild of second-year Engineering student David Ruback, a Metcalf Resident Advisor.
A former employee of Ben and Jerry's, Ruback first thought of the contest last year while he was a RA in Kent. The contest's debut then was at a much smaller scale, he said, as only six or seven teams participated.
This year, Ruback said the House Councils of both houses got involved, as well as the Graduate advisors and RA's. The extra funding and support allowed the event to produce a sizeable donation of $450 to Madison House, the charity of their choice.
"This is a fun way to do community service without going out and spending large hours of their time," Ruback said. "We chose Madison House since it's right here at U.Va. A lot of students know about it and participate in Madison House, so they will come out to support it."
The event is basically an ice cream eating contest, Ruback said, with the winning team being the first to finish their Vermonster.
The extra support this year has allowed the event to give free T-shirts to all its participants and also have prizes, he added.
Ruback said he was inspired to have a Vermonster eating charity contest by his work experience at Ben and Jerry's. In the two years he worked there, he said he does not ever remember Vermonsters being donated. He said that even groups of five or six that purchased the $31 Vermonster were usually unable to finish the thing.
"It's going to take a decent amount of time to finish these things," Ruback said. "If you're racing, it'll take at least five to ten minutes. It's a lot to eat -- these are very, very large sundaes."
Fortunately, the daunting prospect of tackling these sundae monstrosities is on a day forecasted to be hot and humid. And the residents chugging down their Vermonsters this afternoon probably won't be worrying about the heat -- or about dinner.
Read More
It’s okay not to be okay
By Mai Hukuoka | 2 days agoWhether talking to a friend, a loved one or a professional, it is so necessary, and human, to need more than you can provide for yourself.
Taking a break at Tangerines Kitchen
By Charley Thomas | 3 days agoWhat the restaurant somewhat lacks in ambiance, it compensates for in tasty dishes and prompt service.
Virginia Policy Lab — a hub for student-led policy action
By Katherine Haden | December 9, 2024Students propose their own projects and collaborate with other members to research their issues of interest, brainstorm solutions and write policy proposals.
