# How the ice-cream cone was invented

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-ice-cream-cone-st-louis-fair
- Themes: innovation, friendship, humour, teaching
- Life situations: stuck in a rut, looking for fresh ideas

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

At the 1908 (he hedges the year) St Louis World's Fair, an ice-cream stall sat next to a waffle stall. After a couple of weeks the vendors became friends, combined their products, and the ice-cream cone was born. Ajahn Brahm told this at the 2015 World Computer Conference keynote as an image for what Buddhism and computers might invent together.

## The story, as told by Ajahn Brahm (verbatim captions)

but I told them a little story which from a long time ago I in the 1908 or somewhere around then World's Fair was held in St Louis United States and like any World's Fair there were selling all types of food and it just happened by fortuitous chance that the ice cream store was situated right next door to the store selling waffles and you might think what has waffles to do with ice cream or what has ice cream to do with waffles but because they were next to each other for a couple of weeks they talked to each other they became friends and they be decided to try and combine their products and that is where we got the ice cream cone from the St Louis World's Fair the fortuitous coming together of waffles and ice cream so who knows the coming together of Buddhism and computers who knows where that might lead and that is why it is great to actually to think outside the box look outside the box

## Teaching point

Unexpected combinations — thinking outside the box — create things neither partner imagined alone.

## Reflection (in the spirit of Ajahn Brahm's talk)

At a world's fair, so the story goes, an ice-cream stall stood beside a waffle stall; the vendors became friends, combined their goods, and the cone was born. Ajahn Brahm told it to a computer conference. Unlikely partners create what neither imagines alone. Stay open to strange combinations.

## Source

- [Problems and Solutions | Ajahn Brahm | 30 Oct 2015](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivjWh2yuumk) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:27 to 2:52: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivjWh2yuumk&t=87s