Ever since the ice cream cone was patented in 1903, there has been a passionate debate about the more convenient, fun and tastier way to eat ice cream —  a dish or a cone.  

I decided to search for the answer to this age-old debate, on Elizabethtown College’s campus. 

The first group I polled were the residents on my dorm floor in Brinser Residence Hall, done through a GroupMe poll. The poll created a tie, with 13 votes for ice cream in a dish and 13 votes for ice cream in a cone.  

I next polled my track and field teammates, also through a GroupMe poll. However, this poll not only brought a landslide win for one category, but some of my teammates’ passion for how they enjoy their ice cream. Enjoying ice cream in a dish posted nine more votes than eating ice cream in a cone, winning 23 votes to 14.  

Junior Matt Lamb was the first to voice his opinion, stating that enjoying ice cream in a cup “gets you so many more toppings.”  

Fellow junior Keagan Kinney disagreed with Lamb, however. 

“I’m an adult, so I eat my ice cream in a cone,” Kinney said.  

Other comments made in favor of enjoying ice cream in a dish included cones being too messy and cones causing the ice cream to melt faster.  

I then interviewed friends outside of the track team, which saw ice cream in a cone winning 12 to seven. First-year Emalee Kight prefers ice cream in a cone because of the added crunch the cone provides, while sophomore Rosena Campana prefers a dish because of the mess a cone can create and how a dish is mess-free.  

Finally, there was one group left to ask—my family. Enjoying ice cream in a dish was voted by my mom and sister, while my dad voted for enjoying ice cream in a cone. My mom and sister agreed dishes “provide less of a mess while a cone gets your hands messy,” while my dad voted for a cone because he believes it takes him back to his youth. 

After compiling votes from all groups, enjoying ice cream in a dish reigns supreme within a small margin, winning 45 votes to 40 for ice cream in a cone. While I personally enjoy eating ice cream in a dish, I understand the appeal of enjoying ice cream in a cone. Both have their pros and cons, so it truly is a personal enjoyment preference.