Gelato University Lures Dairy Fanatics and Unemployed
Just as the commercial kitchens of Long Island City may provide a measure of respite for the laid-off, it seems that Italy is also doing its part for the newly unemployed. 
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As The Wall Street Journal reports, the country is home to Carpigiani Gelato University, an institution whose curriculum is devoted solely to frozen dairy. And though studying gelato might seem more synonymous with childhood fantasy than financial meltdown, the school's gelato training (which began in 2003) "has experienced a boom in enrollment, moving from 4,000 students from across the globe to more than 9,000 for the 2009-2010 intake" since the global economic crisis first took hold.
Apparently, students are drawn in part by the fact that gelato, it turns out, is quite profitable -- on average, it retails for four times its manufacturing costs. And while Carpigiani may sound like some kind of fantasia, it's hardly the only one of its kind -- closer to home, Penn State's annual Ice Cream Short Course has lured would-be entrepreneurs for 119 years. Although admittedly, "State College, PA" doesn't hold quite the same allure as "Anzola dell'Emilia, Italy."
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