Thermodynamics, You Take It From Here, Part 23
It’s the beginning of summer and pretty much the entire country is suffering from a heat wave. It’s 90°F and the humidity is matching the temp. People are ordering shakes and ice cream left and right. Shortly after I arrive to work, we get a phone call.
Caller: “Hi, I just came through your drive-thru and ordered five ice cream cones. And by the time they got home, they were all melted!”
Me: “Well, unfortunately with the fact that it is 90° today, people have been ordering a lot of ice cream and our machine may have been struggling to keep up with demand.”
Caller: “It wasn’t even that far! It was down the street and two turns away! And when I got home, they were melted!”
Me: “Unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do about that. It’s hot out there. Maybe next time you could get your ice cream cones tipped over into cups to prevent any melty messes in your car?”
Caller: “I don’t think you understand! When I got home, the ice cream was all soft and mushy!”
Me: “I completely understand, Ma’am. But I cannot change the laws of physics. There is nothing I can do to prevent your ice cream from melting in near 100° weather.”
She hung up on me after that. Everyone in our store is trained to not make the ice cream cones until the customer is at the window and cashed out, that way the cones are as un-melted as possible. I don’t know what she expected me to do to prevent her ice cream from melting on a hot day. Drive along side of her with a portable AC unit pointed towards her cones?
Related:
Thermodynamics, You Take It From Here, Part 22
Thermodynamics, You Take It From Here, Part 21
Thermodynamics, You Take It From Here, Part 20
Thermodynamics, You Take It From Here, Part 19
Thermodynamics, You Take It From Here, Part 18
