Don’t you just hate it when you get a song in your head, and can’t get it out?

I have an especially annoying one trapped in my brain this week. It’s an insipid little ditty from childhood, that goes:

Do your ears hang low?

Do they wobble to and fro?

Can you tie them in a knot?

Can you tie them in a bow?

Isn’t that one of the dumbest songs ever? Perhaps it’s not quite as disgusting as “The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out, the worms play pinochle on your snout” — another stellar playground tune that is forever embedded in my memory — but still, I would prefer not to waste scarce brain cells on a song about wobbly ears.

But I can’t exorcise it. It is the sole tune in the repertoire of the ice cream truck that cruises my neighborhood morning noon and night. Just when I think I’ve put it to rest, the vendor makes another swing past my house, and I’m back humming.

To be fair, the truck isn’t actually playing the ears song. I’ve listened to it (trust me, I’ve listened to it) and I have noticed that their anthem has a subtle difference. Halfway through, just as you’re ready to belt out the next verse, (“Can you sling them o’er your shoulder like a Continental soldier?”) it suddenly morphs into the Farmer in the Dell, and you find yourself instead singing “Hi-ho the derry-o, your ears hang low.”

This could seriously ruin ice cream for me.

Do you suppose it has the same negative effect on children? There are lots of kids in my neighborhood, but I don’t see them pouring from their houses, allowance in hand, at the sound of the truck, in the Pied Piper effect I recall from my youth. And last month, when I heard the van go past my sister’s house in Chicago (playing the same horrid song — apparently it’s a nationwide conspiracy), my niece didn’t even look up from her Gameboy.

Now, she can lap up sweets with the best of them — I’ve watched her consume gallons of gelato, and she is happy to put away triple scoops at the olde ice cream shoppe near her house. So why has the ice cream truck lost its appeal?

I’d like to think that, having been exposed to Baby Beethoven in the womb, she has such refined taste in music that she is boycotting until the company changes its tune. But I know what’s on her iPod. I doubt she and her friends are holding out until the truck plays a Bach concerto.

I do think it is a matter of taste, though.

Street vendor ice cream just hasn’t kept up with food trends, and any child raised on today’s super-premium ice creams knows it instinctively. They’ve kept the prices kid-friendly, but in doing so they’ve missed the boat on quality. The stuff on the truck just doesn’t taste good enough to make you run out of the house in pursuit. Not when Chubby Hubby and Chunky Monkey are hanging out in your freezer.

Then again, once in a while ice cold is good enough. On a steamy summer day, when the ice cream man appears with perfect timing, a Dreamsicle or a Rocket pop is exactly what you need to hit the spot, and you go ahead and flag down the truck.

But when you do, just remember what I tell my niece: Don’t eat it too fast, or you’ll get brain freeze.

And that stupid song will be stuck in your head forever.

———

I was ready to write off frozen desserts entirely — until I tasted this delicious, subtle sorbet prepared by Napa cooking teacher Julie Logue-Riordan. It’s the perfect ending to a light summer meal. She generously shared her recipe, which is surprisingly simple. Be sure to use pink or red grapefruit — the sorbet ends up a beautiful pastel color.

Pink Grapefruit Sorbet with Basil and Lemongrass

Julie Logue-Riordan,

Cooking with Julie

4 large red or pink grapefruits

1 cup filtered or bottled water

3/4 cup sugar

6-8 fresh basil leaves

3 two-inch pieces of lemongrass, bruised (bang it with the side of a cleaver)

Squeeze the grapefruit and strain the juice through a sieve, discarding the pulp and seeds. You will need two cups of grapefruit juice.

In a saucepan bring the water, sugar, basil and lemongrass to a boil. Stir until the sugar is dissolved, then turn down the heat and simmer uncovered for five minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let steep for 10 minutes.

Strain the grapefruit juice into a metal bowl, discarding the lemongrass and basil, and whisk in the sugar syrup. Cool the mixture by placing this bowl over a larger bowl filled with ice and water, stirring every couple of minutes.

When the mixture is cold, freeze it in an ice cream maker, following the manufacturer’s instructions. Once it is ready, transfer the sorbet to an airtight container and place it in the freezer to harden.

This sorbet will keep for about a week; after that the flavor dissipates.

Serve garnished with a basil leaf.

Makes about one quart, serving 6.

Betty Teller tries not to take food too seriously. She can be reached at amuse-bouche@sbcglobal.net.