Kopps

not as in ". . . and robbers" but as in frozen custard - the best Milwaukee stuff there is next to Culver's. First time I was taken there I thought I had entered some weird cultic temple what with the dozen pure white cow statues on their elevated pedestals at the back of the parking lot and the pointy white chef hats of the priests who stood behind the alter counter taking your order. The place has a retro feel about it from the flashing neon sixties look sign to the incredible antique cars that always seem to be buzzing about. Its rather like being on a set of Happy Days. I half expect to see Fonzie bopping about. Of course, its always crowded. They must do one roaring business.

You can't be a non-committal observer - o, no. You have to give them their name and when its your turn to worship at the feet of such deities as "Chocolate Thunder" or "Mint Grasshopper" or "Summer Passion" they blare your name over the loudspeaker so everyone will know your particular flavor of religion.

People huddle around tall mini-tables (there are no chairs to be seen), licking or spooning up their particular preference of confection, and moaning their delight while the sacramental music deafens you to all other sound. If you are really committed, you can actually order a meal (if you can call hotdogs and hamburgs a meal) and they come specially wrapped on huge buns - just don't order both custard and food at the same time. you can't possibly lick fast enough.

Tonight it was pleasant enough for us to sit outside on the concrete amphitheater steps and chat while the mosquitoes obligingly nibbled at our sweet ankles. Though we had come here partly just to get away from campus and the intense studying, we couldn't help but "talk shop" - worrying over what the next semester will bring, whether we will have a lot of composition, whether we will do a lot of bell ringing, what will be the demands of the coming dissertation, who will end up being here longer than five years, etc.

Finally, we tore ourselves away from the real world and headed back to the practice rooms, the repertoire challenges, for me, the seminary final. But we took with us a more relaxed view and the wonderful creamy peachy flavor of "Summer Passion." I guess I could do much worse than to have Concordia and sacred music for my summer passion.