Once again, a national writer parachuted into an Idaho resort and pronounced it had the best _____.  Yes, fill in the blank.  This time it’s the website farandwide.com.  The publication was looking for the best ice cream in each state.  The writer concluded McCall has Idaho’s tastiest ice cream, however.

It’s not like these people would ever visit Buhl, Shoshone or Swan Valley.  All can make claims to having great ice cream stands.  I gather these national rankings essentially follow well-known tourist towns.  If they even come to Idaho.

actually driving all 50 states looking for the best ice cream would be really expensive

I mention that point because of an old Monty Python sketch.  The comedians were giving travel advice with lists of do’s and don’ts.  Such as telling the British they would offend the French simply by being British!  Then the travel advisor talked about the United States and our national parks.  He mentioned Americans had a Queen but she was a he and known as a President.  Americans also drove really big cars and “point at things”.  Or at least they did in the brochures he was reading!  In other words, he hadn’t actually been to the United States.

Much of modern media also works this way.  Years ago I was talking with a priest who had been in Nicaragua at the time of that country’s revolution.  He told me American reporters thought it too dangerous to go looking for rebels in the jungle.  Instead, they called the Minister of Information, got the daily briefing and then reported from their hotel balconies.

Of course, actually driving all 50 states looking for the best ice cream would be really expensive.

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