I've been told that even as a baby I loved chewing on ice (apparently I am not alone either). Urban legend claims that this is an indication of sexual frustration (as does label-peeling and paper tearing which I do regularly). More reliable sources suggest it is caused by low iron. Whatever the reason I love it. I don't seek it out with a crazed look in my eye like some of those in the link above but I do enjoy it when I get the chance. At restaurants, servers will often try to take my glass away once the liquid is gone which always leads to an awkward, "oh, yeah, i'm not done with that actually," moment. The art is to leave the ice in the water/juice/root beer long enough for it to get soft. Then drink the drink quickly before the ice actually melts away. Then, of course, eat the ice -if you can get that one last piece unstuck from the bottom of the glass that is.
My favorite ice is the pellet form. This is ice that has been chipped and repacked into tiny pellets. It is so soft to chew that you don't even have to wait for it to soften. I will fill the glass entirely with these lovely pearls of chewiness before topping up with the once ounce of liquid necessary to fill in all the spaces. At Fidelity, our ice machine made these instead of cubes and I would bring a huge glass to my desk and munch on them all day long. Speaking on the phone with a frozen tongue and cheeks was a bit difficult at times though.
I also love ice in its liquid stage. There is nothing quite as satisfying as a glass of ice water on a hot day. Or on a cold day. Or on any day. I can't get enough! I love it most in the July and August when the outside of the glass gets all sweaty from the heat. Maybe I am just craving summer. Bring on the ice!
