Donald Pittenger writes:

Dear Blowhards --

Eons ago -- call it 1950 -- I would bike over to the neighborhood over-the-counter grocery to buy myself a treat.

For ten cents I could get a small (6-8 ounce) Dixie Cup of ... well, let me go through the process.

The cardboard top had a little pull-tab. You would pinch the tab and then peel off the top. Then you'd take a peek at the under-side of the top because there would be a picture! Probably a picture the cowboy character Hopalong Cassidy as played by William Boyd.

As the link explains, Hoppy became a huge hit on TV for a few years starting in 1949. So Hoppy stuff was everywhere, including the insides of Dixie Cup lids.

The cup was filled about half-and-half with vanilla ice cream and orange sherbet. To view Bill Boyd in all his glory you first had to lick a film of ice cream and sherbet off the picture.

The cups came with flat little wooden "spoons" so that the contents could be eaten.

I found this indulgence lacking, but had to put up with it because there were few affordable alternatives.

What was wrong? For one thing, I wasn't a Hopalong Cassidy fan. But my big problem was that orange sherbet. I felt I was being short-changed; an entire Dixie Cup full of vanilla ice cream would have been just swell. So I'd eat the vile, watery sherbet first, clearing the deck for the ice cream.

I still don't care for sherbet.

Later,

Donald

Italian ice was and is sold in similar paper containers, wooden "spoon" and all.
But no more Hopalong Cassidy pictures.

Posted by: Peter on April 24, 2007 11:08 PM

Donald, have you seen anyone about your problem?

Posted by: Charlton Griffin on April 25, 2007 8:32 AM

I love creamsicles: a popsicle with an outer sheathing of orange ice around a core of vanilla ice cream. The orange ice makes the vanilla ice cream taste even creamier -- like the name says.

Not crazy about ices on their own (they're not the same as sherbert, right?) but like them very much in combination with ice cream. But when they melt into the ice cream that makes sherbert, yes?
Why does life have to be so hard? :^/

Posted by: ricpic on April 25, 2007 11:48 AM

Creamsicles have yet to be surpassed. Although I've eaten some high-end, nouvelle ices that were pretty wonderful and far-out. Trying to recall some of the weirdo flavors. Basil. Hmm. I'll check with The Wife, whose memory for food and especially dessert is photographic ...

Posted by: Michael Blowhard on April 25, 2007 12:18 PM

Relating to an earlier post by MBlowhard, I just have to say that both "sherbet" and "ice cream" are very sexy words. Those wooden spoons were enough to kill off the taste of anything, though. Yuck.

Sorry Donald---I like orange sherbet betterthan vanilla ice cream. Now, chocolate ice cream is another story. But sherbet is yummy---very refreshing and summertime. However, Ben and Jerry's fudge brownie ice cream...

Sorry, what were we talking about?

Posted by: annette on April 25, 2007 2:47 PM

Hmmm, that reminds me of getting those boxes of Neopolitan ice-cream, with the chocolate, vanilla and strawberry sections. In our house, the chocolate would go first, then vanilla, and finally strawberry...

Sherbet is only good for making shakes :)

Posted by: MD on April 26, 2007 2:01 PM

MD, have you tried this?

Posted by: Tatyana on April 26, 2007 5:23 PM






Post a comment

Name:


Email Address:


URL:


Comments:


Remember your info?