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Sen. Chuck Grassley says that this Iowa Dairy Queen is a “good place for u kno what.”
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After coming across it during my reporting trip to Des Moines, I figured I had to give it a try.
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But the “u know what” — ice cream, as Grassley later clarified — left much to be desired.
WINDSOR HEIGHTS, Iowa — In 2014, Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa issued a now-infamous advisory about the Dairy Queen in this small residential community just outside of Des Moines.
This Dairy Queen location, the now 89-year-old senator wrote on Twitter, is a “good place for u kno what.”
Grassley, currently the longest-serving United States senator, later clarified that he was simply referring to ice cream. Since then, he’s made a number of trips to other Dairy Queen locations for “u kno what.”
I’m currently in Iowa for a reporting trip, covering the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition’s Annual Spring Kick-Off, where the religious conservative organization is hosting several major 2024 GOP presidential candidates.
But before that, I ended up taking a detour to Windsor Heights that ultimately ended in disappointment.
Here’s how my journey went.
Chuck Grassley actually happened to be on my flight to Iowa on Thursday
As a reporter on Capitol Hill, I see Grassley all the time, and occasionally, I even ask him questions.
I flew into Des Moines on Thursday, which also happens to be the same day that most senators fly home for the weekend. So I wasn’t surprised to see Grassley at my gate, where he shook hands with several passengers also headed to Iowa.
But Grassley wasn’t the only senator headed to Des Moines — Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina was also getting ready to board the flight.
Scott, who’s formed a presidential exploratory committee as he gears up for a likely 2024 campaign, is in Iowa this weekend for a series of events, including the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition’s cattle call.
On the flight, Scott sat in first class, while Grassley was seated at the front of coach class just a few rows behind the South Carolina Republican.
After spending the morning in the freezing cold on a farm with Sen. Tim Scott, I figured it was the perfect time to have ice cream
On Saturday morning, several political reporters along with myself headed down to a farm in a town called Cumming, where Scott took a tour alongside Republican Rep. Zach Nunn and the state’s Attorney General, Brenda Bird.
We were all freezing the entire time.
Despite the fact that it’s April 22 — almost May — the temperature in Cumming was in the mid-30s.
Furthermore, it was windy. At one point, a gust of wind blew Scott’s hat off of his head, sending it flying right into my face.
Fortunately, I was unharmed, and it was all in good fun.
Before I drove down to Cumming, I had stopped at a Dunkin Donuts just south of Windsor Heights, which is where I first noticed the Dairy Queen location on Google Maps.
Having long been aware of Grassley’s infamous tweet, I resolved to try the ice cream after the farm tour — no matter how cold I was.
I was the first customer of the day at the Windsor Heights Dairy Queen
I ended up showing up at the Dairy Queen at 11:58 a.m., where I gave the front door a tug. It was locked.
I checked Google Maps again — they don’t open until noon.
I awkwardly walked back to my car and waited a few more minutes.
Finally, an employee unlocked the door, and that’s how I became the first customer at the Windsor Heights Dairy Queen on Earth Day 2023.
It’s actually a pretty normal Dairy Queen
I approached the counter.
Though Grassley has said he typically goes for a Blizzard, I didn’t feel like going that far.
Plus, growing up, I would often order a simple, cherry-dipped vanilla cone at Dairy Queen, owing to the fact that I’m allergic to peanuts and you never know what sort of cross-contamination might happen with Blizzards.
So I got a cherry-dipped vanilla cone for $3.10.
I asked the teenage girl working at the register whether she was aware of Grassley’s eight-and-a-half-year-old tweet about her workplace.
“Yeah, it’s so random,” she replied. “If you look at our reviews, we have some nice ones about Chuck Grassley.”
Indeed, the Dairy Queen’s Yelp page includes at least one such review.
“Came here on the recommendation of Senator Chuck Grassley,” wrote the user. “Although I don’t agree with him on much, we can agree that this DQ is good for ‘u kno what’. Thanks for the help Senator!”
The ‘u kno what’ didn’t deliver
Unfortunately, the “u kno what” didn’t quite measure up.
The cone was weirdly deformed, and it seemed to me like there was less ice cream in it than I recall having as a kid.
I don’t hold it against the employees — perhaps the machine malfunctioned in some way.
Maybe eating ice cream on an unseasonably cold spring day isn’t a great idea either.
But hey, the ice cream itself still tasted pretty good.
Dairy Queen did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Read the original article on Business Insider
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