Even cannabis ice cream is picking up steam. But if you’re looking for a solid, everyday dessert, there’s nothing more classic than vanilla ice cream. Still, there’s a lot of vanilla ice ...

A viral claim has made its way from literary and oral retellings to the internet: that Black people living in Jim Crow South couldn't have vanilla ice cream except on the Fourth of July.

Then, I went to well-known spots for each dessert and ordered a cup of vanilla to taste-test them for myself. Here's what went down. I dipped into Cold Stone Creamery for a scoop of ice cream.