By Jaci Schneider, Copy Editor
Much Ado About Something
Cajun Cones – the sweet, icy concoctions define the culture at ACU, a signal of springtime, of blossoming flowers and romances, and a notice to all that finals approach rapidly, and the semester will soon screech to a halt.
A sign announcing opening day beckons and teases students, as they hope the springy blue sky will stay clear, so the stand really will open.
Students line up with more students, and they all stare at the painted wooden sign listing their favorite flavors: strawberry, pink lemonade, pickle juice, Ninja Turtle and “I don’t know but it’s good.”
Students divide into two categories: the try something new-ers, and the stuck in a rut-ers. Each group believes the other is a sacrilegious threat to their own snow cone ideals.
Freshmen love Cajun Cones because they can walk the few blocks there easily from Gardner and Mabee halls, and it’s a fun, cheap date, especially for those boys who have no clue where to take a girl on a date.
Cajun Cone connoisseurs can easily spot freshmen because many of them have never experienced the culinary delight of a Cajun Cone. They stand by the wooden sign debating whether to order strawberry or mango, never dreaming the glorious possibilities of flavor combinations, or realizing that, at $1.25 each, they can afford to savor the treat day after day.
Students order their cones and watch the worker pour sugary, syrupy goodness on to a scoop of crumbled ice. They grasp the Styrofoam cups with glee, even with the sticky rivers running down them.
Then they chat and enjoy the sunshine, as the snow cones transform their teeth and mouths into brilliant shades of primary colors. The rivers of syrup pour down onto their yellow Live Strong bracelets, down on to their Gap jeans and on to their flip flops, making their toes stick together.
While savoring the overpowering sweetness, students easily forget about their looming finals and 10-page papers. They forget their summer plans have crashed in shambles.
Right now the sun beats down, the cars whiz past, and friends burst with nostalgic stories and belly laughs.
Cajun Cones rates as guilt-free procrastination because they fill students’ bodies with sugary super powers, allowing them to stay awake into the wee hours, to cram even more facts into their already supersaturated brains.
Sometimes it seems their brains, like the shaved ice, will stop absorbing new facts, and the excess will pour out of their heads in brightly colored streams, down their tired bodies, onto laptop computers, and into a sticky puddle on the floor.
Friday afternoon, after finishing their final exams, students will emerge from classrooms in a stupor, wondering how they made it through the week on a total of 10 hours of sleep.
They will vow with golden intentions to study more diligently next time, but they know deep down inside that as soon as that Cajun Cones stand appears, their willpower and motivation will vanish with a swoosh.
Because the essence of college convinces you and your friends to do everything except what you really should. College is about enjoying the sweetness while it lasts, before the ice melts, the flavor fades, and the fun disappears.
