Saturday, April 2, 2011

ONE PROBLEM

ONE PROBLEM with growing older is that things go away. People die, stores close, items we've long taken for granted disappear.

The day was shimmeringly hot. We'd completed our errands and our thirst was serious. We headed for the Baskin Robbins ice cream store that we've frequented for years. It was a little out of our way on this outing, but visions of a chocolate soda danced in our heads.


We arrived, parked, entered and ordered. Somewhat akin to the Auto Club lady who didn't know what "blue highways" were, the clerk behind the counter had never heard of an ice cream soda. So I explained, step by step. When I came to the seltzer water, the young man said, "Oh, we don't have that." The closest he could offer was some sort of lemon/lime soda which just doesn't cut it. We settled for what they call a "chocolate blast", but I didn't feel happy about it.



Chalk it up to another loss.

5 comments:

  1. ain't that the way ? A Non Y Mouse

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  2. Maybe you and Mr. Bob could wander over the Fair Oaks Pharmacy and Soda Fountain in Pasadena--- for a trip into the past and a chocolate soda!

    My Mom, a teen during World War II, introduced me to strawberry ice cream sodas at Swenson's.

    Sweet memories.

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  3. What a sad moment. The ice cream/ soda fountain also still exists in Downtown Orange. I loved times i have traveled and found these joys. Looks like you will need to get some supplies to make one of these delicious items at home for when guests stop by!

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  4. http://archives.buffalorising.com/story/soda_bar_goes_italian

    That's an article about a place that I worked at in 1981 called The Elmwood Soda Bar. This article is from 2007, and it talks about how many different kinds of places it has been, and some of the commenters never even knew it used to be a Soda Bar. Lord only knows what it is now. Maybe I'll check it out the next time I shuffle off to Buffalo!

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  5. Joanne Pratt Tuchman My very favorite thing in the 50's was the Passion Fruit Sherbert at the Baskin Robbins in Montrose. They used to make it into a soda for me. I don't think I even knew what passion was at that time!!!

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