Ontario Premier Doug Ford got ratioed hard on Twitter this weekend for a seemingly-innocuous post asking followers if they could guess his "favourite ice cream."

The post included a photo of Ford eating ice cream with a spoon, from a cup, in a t-shirt, in front of a Kawartha Dairy van. The van also bears the word "Bobcaygeon," which is where you'll find the popular Ontario-based dairy company's head office and production plant.

Hashtagged with #IceCreamDay, the tweet suggests that a national day-of-the-year dedicated to ice cream would ever take place in December. It does not.

Posted at 7:46 p.m. on Sunday, December 13, the tweet had racked up nearly 3,000 replies as of Monday afternoon (contrasted against 808 retweets and about 2,100 hearts).

Reactions are mixed, but emotions appear to be high across the board.

Seriously? Now's not the time. Because:
1. Pandemic
2. Pandemic
3. It's winter and this picture was clearly taken in Summer
4. Your lack of support for small businesses, schools and other people in danger because of the...
5. Pandemic

— Rob (@robdaily) December 14, 2020

Many people expressed confusion over why the premier would suddenly post a photo of himself eating ice cream, in December, in the middle of an unprecedented global health crisis.

How is this what @fordnation actually posted at ICU rooms continue to be filled faster than spaces are coming available.

The situation is dire and this is what our leader posts on an early 2 months break.

— JPagsy (@j_pagsy) December 14, 2020

This was indeed the overwhelming sentiment in the comment thread under Ford's ice cream photo.

People are being evicted, families being torn apart by deaths, small businesses are going under, kids in schools getting sick and this is what you feel the need to post?

— Sheila Colla, Ph.D (@SaveWildBees) December 14, 2020

Some on Twitter pointed out that Ontario had reported 1,677 new cases of COVID-19 that very morning, along with 16 deaths.

Just a reminder that it's 9 months to the day that your administration closed Ontario schools due to (checks notes) 60 cases of #covid19. Flash forward to Dec 13, 1677 cases, 5 new @tdsb schools closing due to outbreaks, 6217 cases total in Ontario schools.

— Dr. Kiddo Kate (@DrKateTO) December 14, 2020

Others shared personal stories with Ford to illustrate why the tweet had offended them.

I just told my kids they won't be seeing grandma and grandpa for Christmas this year. Guess how interested we are in your favourite icecream?

— Dr. Abe Oudshoorn (@AbeOudshoorn) December 14, 2020

The question of whether or not Ford was paid by the more than 80-year-old Kawartha Dairy company for his endorsement — through campaign donations or otherwise — also came up quite a bit, as it did when he shared numerous McDonald's-related videos on social media earlier in the fall.

You're a dingus.

Without even digging, 10 bucks says @kawarthadairy is a cpc donor.

— Sally T (@sallyjaybird) December 14, 2020

As did calls for the Ford government to lift pandemic restrictions on small businesses. 

End the lockdowns bro!

— Elect Conservatives (@ElectTories) December 14, 2020

Many took the opportunity to create their own punny ice cream flavours, such as "Oxygen Maskin-Robbins" and "Pralines and long term care home neglect."

Viral Vanilla
Cookies & Covid
Ford Failed Fudge Ripple
Triple Chocolate Trolling Ontarians
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough for Donors
Cappuccino Campaigning
Fire Fullerton French Vanilla
Buck a Beer Bubble Gum

Or how about DO YOUR JOB.#FordLiedPeopleDied #VoteFordOut2022 pic.twitter.com/5OLh3fTqOr

— RandomSecretary #FireLecce (@RandomSecretary) December 14, 2020

Others didn't mince words. Instead, they flat out called Ford's tweet callous, cowardly, indecent, disgusting, insensitive and beyond comprehension.

Ontario families are being evicted during a global pandemic while you sit on millions of $s of covid funding and post this photo of yourself eating well. Kindness matters, but in this case - shame on you. Take better care of your people.

— Be Kind. (@brandi_licious) December 14, 2020

I'm not going to repeat the shots taken at Ford's physique, but there were plenty of those as well.

"It's hard to imagine a better photo to encourage the rest of us to eat smart, avoid dairy and sugar, and exercise daily," wrote someone in one of the less-crass tweets on the subject.

Nero played the fiddle while Rome burned. @fordnation ate ice cream, as people in Ontario continue to die from Covid.

— Kevin van Steendelaar (@KvanSteendelaar) December 14, 2020

But again, the overwhelming majority of replies to Ford's ice cream tweet contained messages of disbelief and disappointment in the premier's decision to publish such a frivolous message during a seriously troubling time for the province.

Seriously??? What the hell is wrong with you Doug Ford? Ontario is on fire 🔥 🔥🔥 and this is what you’re focusing on? This is NOT normal behaviour.

— MG (@MariaMgroz) December 14, 2020

"Frankly I don't care what your favourite ice cream flavour is. There are far more important things I'd like to know," reads one.

"Like why are you sitting on $12 billion in fed cash while children are stuffed in poorly ventilated classrooms, hospitals and long-term care homes are horribly overburdened?"

You do know Doug we are in a middle of a global pandemic. Ontario is hitting over 1800 new cases of #COVID19 a day with almost 4000 deaths in Ontario alone. You can pretend life is normal as you eat your ice cream. But Ontarians effected by the #coronavirus will never forget.

— Bev 🏃‍♀️ (@BevAzevedo) December 14, 2020

"This sort of social media content from a politico is cute and humanizing if they aren't complete failures who prioritize big business and bigots over...everything," remarked one Twitter user.

"I hope your ice cream melts and then refreezes before you eat it. May you be plagued by ice crystals and freezer burn."