Who wouldn’t scream for ice cream? Just by the thought of this soft, cold and creamy dessert as it melts in the tongue and slips through the throat could drive us craving for it over and over again. Ice cream has been a part of a Filipino’s diet. In fact, it has been an all-time favorite Filipino dessert because of its delicious taste and its affordable price. Notice how we always get our fingers crossed, wishing and hoping that a scoop or two of this frozen dessert will be served after every meal. This happens all the time whenever there are special occasions such as birthday celebrations, Christmas parties or even just on a hot summer day. In a typical Filipino kiddie party, kids would always appreciate the colourful balloons tied on those small kiddie chairs, the amusing clown who never fails to entertain them, the party games which never get old and the mouth-watering food but wouldn’t it be so incomplete without ice cream twirled in cones? Kids and even adults just love ice cream. Well, who couldn’t resist the heaven-like feeling while licking its sweet and delicious taste? I remember during my annual birthday celebrations, whether it was a party or just a simple family gathering, my mom would always prepare her grocery list and jot down my favorite ice cream flavor: Vanilla.
To give more taste to this plain flavor, she would add chocolate syrup, marshmallows, nuts and rainbow-color candy sprinkles to the list. Just a day before my birthday, she would always rush to the grocery store to buy a gallon or half of Vanilla ice cream. There were some instances that my favorite wasn’t available so a gallon of Cookies and Cream would do. On the dining table were food dishes and sometimes a birthday cake to match the ice cream for dessert. Also, tiny little cups with teaspoons were prepared on the side table for the ice cream to be served. Just so I thought that the most challenging part was to scoop the ice cream into fine perfect circles and the most enjoyable was designing the ice cream as if it was an artwork, pouring syrup all over and sprinkling with different condiments. Time flies fast and just a month and how many days after my birthday, we embrace the season of Christmas. “Sale! 50% off on selected items.” These words printed in bold letters are what we usually see inside grocery stores and shopping centers. In fact, one of the many items on sale is ice cream. Of course, we never deny the fact that Queso de Bola, Hamon and Lechon are the main stars in the dining table but no one misses ice cream on the fridge. Despite the cold weather, we never say no to this dairy product. The demand of ice cream is higher than ever during Christmas. The number of ice cream gallons are slowly decreasing day by day as the twenty-fifth of December is fast approaching. Next thing you know these gallons are being punched by the cashiers and placed inside the plastic by grocery boys.
From a cold December to hot summer days, we continue to scream for ice cream. Its coldness and sweetness perfectly match the hot summer feeling. Ever heard of bells ringing in the streets at three in the afternoon? Dirty ice cream is in town! My brother and I would rush outside whenever we hear the sound of those bells. The sorbetero would get his metal scoop and ask, “What flavor do you want?” We both answer, “Cheese, please!” We usually order five scoops of cheese flavor for only five pesos. Dirty ice cream is not what you think it is, literally. The term “dirty” refers to home-made ice cream sold by sorbeteros from colorful push carts with metal canisters. Aside from its cheap price, its taste is a lot different from all other ice creams.
Ice cream comes in a lot of different flavors and each one of us, I’m sure, has a favorite or two. Although we love to try other new flavors, we tend to eat more of what we like the most. The common ice cream flavors we have here in the Philippines are vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, ube, mango, rocky road, cookies and cream and double dutch. These flavours are considered common because of its availability in the market and are mostly consumed by Pinoys. Vanilla is the most common among these flavors because it can be paired with almost anything from milkshakes and hot fudge cakes to pies and banana split. Its plain flavor can also be dipped into different coatings and sprinkled with ice cream condiments. It is also used in the creation of other flavors such as cookies and cream, wherein small bits of chocolate cookies are added, and double dutch, which contains condiments such as nuts, chocolate fillings and other flavorings. Another very common flavor is Chocolate, which is loved by almost all. One sole ingredient of this flavor is cocoa powder, which also contribute to the flavor’s brown color. Rocky road, which has chocolate ice cream in it, has a mixture of peanuts and marshmallows. “I love Rocky Road because it gives me a “rocky” feeling while eating”, said one of my close friends, Nicole, who’s an aficionada of ice cream. A strange flavor as they say because of its strange color, Ube ice cream comes in a bright purple color which is made out of yam. Foreigners who visit the country greatly appreciate this ice cream flavor every now and then. Well, we can’t blame them for not having Ube flavor abroad. This flavor is also the sole ingredient in making Halo-halo. The last two common flavors are mango and strawberry, both of which are fruit flavors as the names say it all. While majority consume these flavors, people who aren’t part of the majority appreciate unique Filipino flavors. One of these is Macapuno, which is simply a plain vanilla ice cream but with a distinct taste of coconut with coconut meat. Another Filipino flavor is sweet corn. It has a golden yellow color with bits of corn and a scent which smells just exactly how a cooked sweet corn smells. Keso, which is similar with sweet corn in terms of its appearance, has also a distinct flavor with slices of cheese in it.
But if you’re an avid fan of ice cream, you would probably go straight to Gelatissimo, a popular Italian ice cream shop. As soon as I heard about it, how people considered it as the best ice cream shop yet very expensive, I thought it would cause no harm to give it a try. I walked inside the store and ordered a scoop of Choco Mint ice cream which cost ninety-five pesos. The price was worth the taste because it made me feel like I was in Italy while scooping the ice cream into my mouth with a tiny colourful spoon. Despite the posh price, people never get tired of those rare Italian flavors and still flock the store even until now. While others are willing to spend for an expensive Italian ice cream, some would prefer to go to fast food chains like Jollibee and McDonalds.
Lace, a friend of mine said, “It’s affordable and worth it at the same time compared to those fancy ice cream shops.” When you step on the floors of these fast food chains, notice how strange it is when customers dip their French fries in hot fudge sundae. Nowadays, these two have been complementary with each other. Hot fudge sundae, for only less than thirty-pesos, paired with French fries has become a new eating trend. There are also people who only settle for a twenty-peso ice cream or less. Probably you can see these people standing in front of ice cream shops like Creamee D-Lite and Mr. Softy situated usually along the hallways of the mall. These shops are selling soft vanilla ice cream twirled in sugar cones with dip flavors such as chocolate, ube, strawberry and mango and a variety of condiments such as marshmallow, candy sprinkles, fruit bits and cookie cuts.
On the other hand, inside the grocery are people who prefer buying a gallon of ice cream instead of just a single scoop. Famous Philippine brands like Nestle, Selecta and Magnolia have ruled the ice cream industry through different advertisements. These sprouting businesses are proofs of how much we crave for ice cream, how we are willing to spend just to buy one and how it brings happiness to each and every Filipino.
Sources:
Wikipedia. Ice cream. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_cream
Spy Pinay. Ice cream Flavors that are Uniquely Filipino. February 2009.
Gaga over dirty ice cream. Francia, Luis H. August 10, 2011.
Personal Interview. Tan, Nicole Angeli F. October 3, 2011.
Personal Interview. Yap, Samantha Lace S. October 3, 2011.
