Moo-ve over Milky Way

Your local vending machine options may soon include more than candy bars and peanut butter crackers. Massachusetts-based MooBella manufactures made-while-you-wait ice cream contraptions.

These contraptions take about 45 seconds to make "real ice cream in real time," as I heard MooBella's CEO say in an online demonstration. Best of all, you can choose from 12 flavors, five mix-ins and either premium or low-calorie ice cream.

Granted, I'm not breaking news here. Just noting my curiosity. MooBella seems to be much discussed, but more in techie than foodster circles. It was on Time's 2006 Best Inventions list, and you can read about the company's history here.

As of March, the company only has two locations, both in Boston. One, appropriately enough, is in the Children's Hospital. While I've been promised that more machines are on the way, I'm not holding my breath for one in North Carolina. Wherever they're located, I can see MooBellas doing really well in movie theater lobbies. Who wouldn't prefer real ice cream to those silly Dippin' Dots?

Funny story: My friend Jason just told me about this company, but he wasn't sure of the name. He thought it was Rubella. Oddly enough, I couldn't find anything online about an ice cream company that shared a name with a measles-like virus. Jason, MooBella's investors and I were all relieved to learn the company's real name.

Anyway, another friend will start working for the company soon. I may have to ask him for the free ice cream password. That and why there's no mint flavor, with which you could make Mint Chocolate Chip and Mint Oreo. If you're just gonna have one green flavor, Pistachio ain't it.