Do You Scream For Ice Cream?

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.

 Since ice cream is a favorite Filipino dessert, a number of ice cream parlors have been sprouting everywhere and a lot of brands have been created. The ice cream industry can indeed make a lot of profit especially now that we are living in a consumerist world. When we enter the mall, all we see are families eating in restaurants, teenage girls shopping for clothes and kids running around like there’s no tomorrow.

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. 

http://www.spypinay.com/ice-cream-flavors-that-are-uniquely-filipino/

Gaga over dirty ice cream. Francia, Luis H. August 10, 2011. 

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/8577/gaga-over-dirty-ice-cream

Personal Interview. Tan, Nicole Angeli F. October 3, 2011.

Personal Interview. Yap, Samantha Lace S. October 3, 2011.

Exercise

1.
Mark Twain is the author of Huckleberry Finn.
Huckleberry Finn is a classic American novel.
Mark Twain's real name was Samuel L. Clemens.
He lived in Hartford for several years.

Mark Twain, whose real name was Samuel L. Clemens, lived in Hartford for several years and is the author of Huckleberry Finn, a classic American novel.

2.
Mark Twain's house was very elaborate and elegant.
It was on Farmington Avenue.
It was in an area called Nook Farm.
He was a neighbor of Harriet Beecher Stowe.
Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin. 

Mark Twain’s house was very elaborate and elegant which was located on Farmington Avenue in an area called Nook Farm and his neighbour was Harriet Beecher Stowe, who wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

3.
Mark Twain's home has a large side porch.
Windows and a balcony overlook the porch.
Today, people say the windows and balcony remind them of a steamboat.
In his youth, Twain piloted steamboats on the Mississippi. 

Today, people say that the balcony and windows overlooking the large side porch on Twain's home remind them of a steamboat, the kind of Mississippi steamboat young Mark Twain used to pilot.

4.
Mark Twain was one of the first three people in Hartford to own a telephone.
The telephone was first used commercially in nearby New Haven.
There was practically no one to talk to.
Mark Twain never really liked this newfangled gadget. 

Mark Twain was one of the first three people in Hartford to own a telephone, which was first used commercially in nearby New Haven but he never really liked this newfangled gadget because there was practically no one to talk to.

5.
Mark Twain loved industrial inventions.
He lost a fortune investing in them.
One of these inventions was the elaborate Paige typesetter.
Unfortunately for Twain, this machine was developed at the same time as the Linotype.
The Linotype machine was much simpler and less expensive.

Mark Twain loved industrial inventions and one of these inventions was the elaborate Paige typesetter but unfortunately, he lost a fortune in investing because this machine was developed at the same time as the Linotype, which was much simpler and less expensive.

6.
Mark Twain's beloved daughter, Susy, died in the Hartford home.
She died of spinal meningitis.
Twain never felt the same about the house again.
He soon left the house and Hartford.
He returned only once.
He came back for the funeral of his friend, Charles Dudley Warner.

Mark Twain never felt the same about the Hartford home again because his beloved daughter, Susy, died in there and so he left the house and came back only once for the funeral of his friend, Charles Dudley Warner.

Calories in Filipino Foods ; Indian Food

A. Calories in Filipino Foods

In this reading, the writer is able to discuss and elaborate specifically on what calories are, how much calories are contained in a certain portion of food, how to compute one's total calorie requirement and how calorie-awareness is very important in a healthy living. The writer obviously wants his readers to be informed and be aware of how essential calorie intake is. He also states facts. For example by defining calorie as the amount of energy in food/drink we ingest, and also the energy consumed or lost with any bodily activity. Generally, he is very specific with his information about calories. He enumerates how much calories are present in each type of food. He also gives advice to the us, the readers, that we should live a healthy lifestyle by eating what is nutritious for us and that we should at least consume 500 calories per day. This reading serves as a guide and warning for us especially nowadays that we are more health conscious than ever.

 B. Indian Food

According to the writer, Indian foods differ not only in taste but also in cooking methods. Generally, the writer has a positive concept on Indian food. The writer probably adores Indian food because of how he positively describes the food. His style of comparing and contrasting the food in the North, South, West and East India is one effective way of grabbing the attention of the readers. He states how spice is an essential element in every Indian food. He enumerates what ingredients are used for a particular dish. Say for example, in North India, he states that chapatis are prepared with a variety of flours such as wheat, rice, maida, and besan. In West India, he describes the cooking style as “Portuguese influenced” in Goa. In East India, he describes how Hilsa is prepared. It has a special way of preparing through wrapping it in a pumpkin leaf and cooking it afterwards. To sum everything up, the writer specifically gives a concrete description on how the different kinds of food are prepared, what ingredients are used and the physical appearance and taste of the foods.

Turn out the lite by Anderson Digby; Nostalgia for Kerala by Pete Cherches

Negative Connotations:

1.    Lite is insipid, weak, denatured, flat, diluted, and easy: food for cowards and children.

2.    The mildest thing one would want to say about this horrid dry pink innovation, which sweated under the grill and fell to bits under the knife, was that it was less than a sausage.

3.    There is a word that usefully captures this trend to the insipid and denatured, and it is "Lite."

4.    Our morality is Lite, childish, and diluted.

5.    He is ignorant, timid, squeamish, and childish. 

Positive Connotations:

1.       Kerala is a success story of the developing world.

2.       The dancers have perfect control of all face and body muscles, and the make-up is striking and elaborate.

3.       It was a lovely, idyllic place, and I felt a bit like Gauguin arriving in Tahiti.

4.       There are beautiful beaches and backwaters, places of great historical interest, reflecting the region's varied colonial past, and an overall sense of contentment and well-being among the people.

5.       Keralan cuisine is one of the world's great culinary secrets.