The Bizarre New York Ice Cream Law That's Somehow Real

Ice cream is something most of us love to enjoy in our own way, whether it's in a cone, cup, or a milkshake. There's really no right or wrong, but there is apparently one way which is illegal in New York. You may have already heard of a few weird food laws within the U.S., like not being allowed to eat fried chicken with a fork in Georgia, or only being allowed three sandwiches at a wake in Louisiana. Well, if you're eating an ice cream cone on a Sunday in New York, it's illegal to carry it in your back pocket.

It's hard to believe that this is a real law, and probably won't change the way you eat your ice cream, since not many of us would think to store it in our pockets. But still, it sparks a lot of questions, like why this law applies specifically to Sundays and back pockets only. Although the information out there is unclear, there are a few theories on how this law came to life.

One theory suggests that this law is linked to blue laws, which would historically ban certain activities on specific days, usually Sundays in the Western world. The banned activities include consumption of alcohol amongst other activities that would've been considered as unacceptable on a "religious" day. Although most of these aren't enforced anymore, it's possible that there was a blue law against eating ice cream on Sundays. This may have led to people hiding them from police in their back pockets, to avoid trouble.

Alabama, Kentucky, and Georgia also have a law against carrying ice cream in your back pocket, and while there is no mention of Sundays, this could be connected to New York's law. This law dates back to when people got around on horseback, and thieves would attempt to lure horses with ice cream in their back pockets. This was a way to avoid being charged with stealing, which is why the act of carrying ice cream in a back pocket was banned soon after. The coincidence of these two specific laws is hard to ignore, but we might never know for sure. While the origins of this NY law may be a little murky, one thing is clear: If you're eating vanilla or choc chip ice cream on a Sunday in The Big Apple, remember to keep it out of your pockets.