A Sticky Situation

Mission: sample as many locopops as possible

Location: Locopops, 2600 Hillsborough Road, Durham, NC‎

Obstacles: the sun, brain freeze

Objective: beat the heat and eat 11 locopops before they melt

Outcome: messiest food challenge, yet

We've devoured a one-pound hotdog, we've taken down the double down, one of us even attempted the two-pound burger...but our messiest challenge to date, 11 locopops, outside, in June.

On a recent afternoon, GWG ventured to the Locopops on Hillsborough Road to sample a variety of their frozen treats, available in a range of traditional to adventurous flavors. After reviewing the menu (and ten minutes of indecision) we each chose five flavors—a decision that paid off as we instantly filled up a frequent buyer card, earning us a free pop (or 'paleta' if you live in Mexico)! Locopops offers water and cream-based flavors, so we sampled a combination to get a good feel for what this local shop has to offer.

Much thanks to the guy behind the counter for his friendly offer to label each flavor in order to help us maintain the integrity of our experiment. We should also apologize to the kids in line who had to wait a little longer than usual to enjoy their afternoon treat! There is always a welcoming atmosphere at Locopops, and they understand their customer—zip lock bags, baby wipes and other supplies are available to help those of us who are used to eating with bibs.

We took our bag o' pops and set up shop at the bright purple picnic table out front—drivers-by had to get a kick out of two grown women attempting to devour popsicles at a faster rate than they were melting. Some of the flavors were instant favorites and others were a little different—overall we found a preference for the cream-based choices.

Here is what we thought of each flavor:

• Cookies-n-Cream - they've got this one nailed; with huge cookies chunks this is sure to be a unanimous favorite
• Watergate Salad - tastes exactly like that mystery salad that always turns up at pot-lucks; sweet and enjoyable
• Thai Rice Pudding - sweet and milky in a subtle way
• Strawberries-n-Cream - more of a blend than strawberry chunks; not our personal favorite
• Chocolate Banana - instant favorite; great flavor combination
• Pomegranate Tangerine - sweet, fruity and refreshing
• Chocolate Brownie - chocolate chunks make this a dead-ringer for Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie
• Mighty Mojito - a slightly tangier option that will refresh you like a glass of ice-cold lemonade
• Guava Jalapeno - fun to try for the oddity, but this one was hard to finish
• Mango Chile - tastes just like the fruit, but heavier than some of the other fruit flavors
• Rosemary Apple Cider - we suggest a little more on the apple cider and less on the rosemary

Locopops offers 'The Regulars' all the time (the tried and true favorites), but they also mix it up daily by rotating in "Guest Stars"—now it's your turn to try some flavors and let us know what you think!