Here’s the Straight Scoop on Incident That’s Not Plain Vanilla

Sometimes a quest for ice cream takes one down a rocky road.

A 19-year-old San Pedro woman reported that when she walked past a Hermosa Beach ice cream shop the other day, an employee pelted her with a scoop.

It apparently wasn’t a random attack.

Earlier that day, the alleged victim had visited the store “to buy ice cream ... but then decided to go to another ice cream shop,” wrote Whitney Youngs of the Beach Reporter.

She was believed to have quarreled with the alleged pelter, also 19, before leaving.

After the unorthodox ice cream serving, the woman flagged down a police officer and reported that she had been “battered.”

I phoned Hermosa Beach police to see how the investigation was progressing, and Det. Bob Higgins told me it was “questionable whether the case would go forward” to prosecution.

For one thing, Higgins pointed out, “all the evidence melted out there on the promenade.”

No wonder tempers are reaching the boiling point: “It was hot in Lomita Monday, but I don’t think it was this hot,” wrote Scott Crawford (see photo).

Word imperfect: On the Westside, Marnie MacLean was amused by a case in which a “sign-maker knew he couldn’t spell ‘catalytic converter,’ but threw caution to the wind with ‘mofles.’ Note, too, that while he was diligent to check some of his spelling, ‘mofles’ is plural (I assume) while ‘catalytic converter’ is singular” (see photo).

Stumbling along: As for the ad last week that unaccountably showed a shoe model with two right feet (see photo), Don McGuire wrote: “Some of my students want to pair up with the lady.” McGuire teaches ballroom dancing in San Gabriel. He was, of course, referring to the guys in his class with two left feet.

Eye-witty news: “I’m actually not hard of hearing,” wrote Christine Lehman of North Hollywood, “but the closed captioning is so amusing that I find the newscasts are much more enjoyable with it turned on!” Some favorites Lehman has read on her TV screen include:

* “road end” (for “rodent”)

* “trance plant” (“transplant”)

* “dig stinctly” (“distinctly”)

* “harm nice” (“harmonize”)

* “high con” (“icon”)

And my all-time favorite:

* “miss terrorists” (“mysterious”)

miscelLAny: Since the state Assembly has approved a bill that would force the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to tell people in their ads that they’re not based in L.A., Peter Lee wonders if the crusading legislators will also make the same demand of the Los Angeles Equestrian Center (in Burbank), the Los Angeles Royal Vista Golf Course (in Walnut) and Los Angeles Air Force Base (in El Segundo).

These cases strike me as similar to that of the Angels -- dig stinctly so.

Steve Harvey can be reached at (800) LATIMES, Ext. 77083; by fax at (213) 237-4712; by mail at Metro, L.A. Times, 202 W. 1st St., L.A. 90012; and by e-mail at steve.harvey@latimes.com.