When I was a child, we had a man who used to push a buggy through the neighborhoods and sell ice cream treats to the kids. Later it was an ice cream truck. In the small town where I grew up, we had at least four dairies that made their own ice cream and each one had it's own soda fountain. All of them were good.
You could get ice cream sodas, milk shakes, malteds, sundaes, banana splits, and cones. In those days, when you got a malt or a shake, they would fill up your glass and give you the metal mixing container so you could pour in the rest when you had enough room in your glass.
Banana splits were the real thing. A whole banana, three scoops of ice cream....vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry with toppings of pineapple, strawberries, chocolate syrup, real whipping cream, and a cherry or two. It was always a real treat to go to the dairy for ice cream.
Then over the years we seemed to nationalize ice cream brands and the locals sold out to the big guys. And ice cream had more air than cream.
For a while we lived up north where there were Friendly Ice Cream shops. Oh, they were wonderful. It was like re-living my childhood. Then along came Baskin Robbins. Yep good stuff.
And Marble Slab....oh yeah, I like that place.
For the house we learned of Yarnell's ice cream made in Arkansas. It too is good ice cream.
Then the Texas company Blue Bell started selling ice cream in Mississippi. I have become a devoted Blue Bell fan. In my opinion, it's the best mass produced ice cream in America.
My wife and I have a dish of ice cream almost every night. I try to keep five or six flavors on hand at any given time. Locally, they put it on sale....three half gallons for $10. I usually go and buy six at least once a month.
A favorite flavor of mine is Tin Roof. My wife likes Delta Blues (blueberry). But, quite honestly, I think most of the Blue Bell flavors are great. Their butter pecan is about the best of that variety I have ever tasted.
Ice cream is good for the soul. Nobody can eat ice cream and be angry. Just doesn't happen.
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3 comments:
When I was growing up,there was a Seale-Lily ice cream shop not too far from my grandparent's house. They would take my brother and me there when we spent the night. Pop-pa Floyd always got black walnut, Mom-ma Nell's favorite was strawberry, and Wild Bill and myself usually had chocolate. I loved that place and the memories that go with it.
Old Bopper, your blog about ice cream reminds me of my grandparents. There were usually 2 to 3 gallons of ice cream at their house and they had a dish every night. My grandmother even kept chilled dishes in the freezer so the ice cream would not melt as fast. Now my husband likes ice cream. Wish my grandmother would have had the chance to meet him. Thanks for bringing back some good memories.
We had Seale-Lily in downtown Jackson with an ice cream soda shop and then they opened one on Northside Drive next to Triangle Mart. Bordens on Highway 80 at Terry Road had an ice cream shop too and I enjoyed both of them.
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