Guest Blog : Summer Wrap-up: Frozen Treats

My favorite thing about summer in the Bay is the weather. One day your hybrid tells you it’s 94 degrees outside, the next evening you need to wear three layers to walk around Lake Merritt.

Even when my nose is frozen and my toes are frozen, there isn’t much better than a frozen treat to make any moment of the day better. But, did you know that only one frozen treat can officially call itself a Popsicle^tm? Are you up to date on the high technology that makes some of these treats possible?

To be fair, nothing can really compare to a sundae from Fenton’s, so I’ll just take that out of the running. This is a medium, by the way.

So after the aforementioned freezing walk around the lake, I got the great idea to have popsicles and we set out to the land of popsicles (aka Pak N Sav in Emeryville). I will admit that after the initial excitement, I got overwhelmed pretty quickly. Luckily, Kasha spotted the most perfect selection.

After packing up our treats, we discovered that not only were these not regular Popsicles^tm but they were also quiescently frozen. Apparently there has been some innovation in the frozen treat manufacturing world. No, it does not mean they were gently crystallized in a library-like environment. Technically, “quiescent” means “in a gentle state”. Instead of being agitated to frozen perfection like ice cream, these bars are poured into molds and shoved in a freezer. The outcome is an odd consistency (kind of like frozen champagne, but no bubbles), but at the end of the day, it’s hard to beat a frozen root beer float.

Despite this, I’ve come to notice that a good number of folks in my crew have lactose issues, which would make it very difficult to enjoy my quiescently frozen confection of choice. Luckily, my second choice is dairy-free. Though Trader Joe’s offers four choices of Fruit Floes these days, I tend to go for the strawberry. I appreciate the chunks of strawberry and the sweetness. I will note that TJs (love you TJs) used to make a dark cherry variety that was my favorite, but those days are gone.

In doing a little research (local, international, internet), I found that no summer is complete without a Melona bar. Thanks to the Korean grocery around the corner from Kasha and Marty’s house, I got to try this Hawaiian gas station delight. In addition to a fun color and solid flavor, the honeydew Melona bar has a great consistency that allows you to form it into creative shapes with your tongue while you eat it. I would definitely buy one after school if they cost $1.25. I hear, though, that the Korean grocery has done some baiting and switching and there’s something non-Melona masquerading as a real Melona. Hi hater.