Ice Cream Run To The Flying J

This evening, I had a sweet tooth attack and decided to hop into the Jeep and head down to the Flying J to pick up a pint of ice cream.

After selecting it (Breyer's vanilla), I went over to the casher to pay for it.

When it was my turn to pay, the conversation between the clerk and I went like this:

Clerk: Just the ice cream?

Me: Yes, that's all.

Clerk: Would you like a spoon?

Me: No thanks. Just a bag, please. So I can feed it to my horse.

Clerk: Laughing. 

She must've believed me. She gave me a large shopping bag.

Arden Farms In Los Angeles

Above, Arden Farms at 1900 W. Slauson Av., Los Angeles circa 1930s.

Kids of the baby boomer generation (post-World War II) growing up in Los Angeles were most likely very familiar with Arden Farms.

Back in those days, when Los Angeles Unified School District was the Los Angeles City School District, milk distributed to school children were usually from Arden Farms. Arden was the giant milk products company in Southern California.

Above, Arden's "Arden Boy" of the 1950s.

Arden Farms branched out into the supermarket business, generally the high-end Gelson's and Mayfair Markets. I used to occasionally shop at the Tarzana Gelson's not knowing at the time they were part of Arden Farms.

Back when I was a kid, we used to take the bus (or streetcar) down Vermont Ave. to Sears at Vermont and Slauson Avenues. Nearby, was the giant Arden Farms plant at 1900 W. Slauson Ave., Los Angeles. The main building used to catch my attention by its giant milk bottle on top.

Above, Bela Lugosi at the Arden Farms booth at the 1953 premiere of House of Wax.

2024 Update:

Above, the reproduction Arden Ice Cream sign I bought
in 2020 hangs in my kitchen. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Hot Fudge Sundae With No Ice Cream

Above, Denny's at the Flying J in Jamestown. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Earlier this afternoon, I stopped in at Denny's at the Flying J.

I felt I needed something sweet, so I decided to head over there for a hot fudge sundae. I hadn't had anything sweet since Thanksgiving dinner when Larry Lucier served an excellent blueberry pie he made.

I was greeted by a (new?) waitress who seated me at a window booth. She asked what I wanted to drink. I told her nothing and just said I wanted a hot fudge sundae with vanilla ice cream and nuts (no hard boiled eggs). Then she walked away.

A few minutes later, another waitress, Danica, approached and asked me if it were correct that I wanted no ice cream in the hot fudge sundae. I exclaimed, "What?!" I said I told the other waitress that I wanted vanilla ice cream. Danica said the other waitress told her I wanted no ice cream in the sundae.

She said she thought it was strange that I would order a sundae without ice cream (she already knew me). We both had a good laugh.

Tokyo Ice Cream Shops

Above, Tokyo girls in Asakusa. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Here's something for people in Tokyo where they can get their licks in. That, of course, is the many Tokyo ice cream shops that will help cool people off on a hot day.

Tokyo Cheapo has an article on Tokyo ice cream shops with some recommendations.

They begin with:

Tokyo, as it does with many things, takes ice cream to the next level. While of course you can get your usual 99 with a flake at Maccy D’s, or a soft serve from Family Mart, none of this spark that childhood excitement of a towering cone of brightly colored joy. Now, depending on what pulls your strings, this excitement can come in different forms. It could be from 8 levels of rainbow, precariously balanced and almost impossible to successfully eat, or it could be a flavor so intense you need to sit down. How about experimenting with flavors you never even knew existed—dig into a scoop of eel ice cream, or maybe have a try of lick of tulip gelato. It’s not all about the ice cream these days though, how about a cone made of a freshly baked croissant for all your brunch-snack needs? Whatever you fancy, find it all and more at these Tokyo ice cream shops.

Eel ice cream?!

To read more, go here.