Oxford lunch

We weren't in the city of Oxford. No university just our table.

Our lunch conversation about the Oxford comma over our Catalan rice and veggies were worthy of  Oxford dons over their tea and crumpets.

The Oxford Comma is about the only major disagreement between Rick and myself.

I was taught and believe a comma is a substitute for the word and...

Thus in the sentence I ate ice cream, hot fudge sauce and a cookie  it reads I ate ice cream and hot fudge sauce and a cookie.

If you use the Oxford comma it reads, I ate Ice cream, hot fudge sauce, and a cookie or I ate ice cream and hot fudge sauce and and a cookie. Sounds like stuttering my point of view.

Rick maintains the extra comma eliminates confusion. How confusing is hot fudge sauce and a cookie...really. Couldn't an idiot figure out it is the end of a series?

Since we are both writers he brought out his college grammar book and said, "If they say it isn't needed, I give up."

What happened?

It said that the comma is "often omitted." Back then, in the early 70s he was an Oxford comma fan and had written no.

To be fair they also added the extra comma is preferred.

So the verbal battle of the comma continues.

And as a result of the examples I have an overwhelming desire for a hot fudge sundae. I want to eat ice cream, hot fudge sauce, a cookie, a cherry and (no comma) whipped cream. 

Is anyone confused about the the cherry and whipped cream?