So trivial, yet it really ticks you off.

[Fading Fast]

But people don't go to Starbucks to get a generic cup of iced tea in a foam cup. That's not their target. It's like going into a pub that advertises 137 different beers on tap and wondering why they fool around with all that nonsense and don't simply serve Schlitz in a plastic cup. That's just not the kind of place it is.

Okay.

 

[pawineguy]

I've lost count of the number of Starbucks within a few miles of my house. Two of which are just a ten minute walk.

I was driving through the OC a few weeks ago, and after picking up a rental car I wanted some coffee. (I was either in Costa Mesa or Newport Beach at the time) I missed a Starbucks because I was on the wrong side of the road to get to it, so I drove another block or two and ran into another one that was easier to get into.

 

[HudsonHawk]

I love going into places that advertise 900 flavors of ice cream and pondering the board for a long time and then finally saying "I think I'll have a small vanilla."

One of the great disservices of all time is the relegation of vanilla to mean "plain", "ordinary" or "bland". Vanilla is one of the most exotic and sublimely intoxicating flavors ever encountered by mankind.

And as far as I'm concerned, there are only five legitimate flavors of ice cream: vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, pistachio and cookies and cream. Everything else is just some twisted illusion.

 

[LizzieMaine]

We only ever had vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and orange sherbert around here when I was little -- we'd heard of pistachio, but it was one of those exotic "big city" things you heard about in movies. You had your choice of Hood, Sealtest, Breyers, or the store brand, and it was always the same choice of flavors. Well, that and "Vanchocostraw" which is what we called what everybody else calls "Neapolitan."

Breyer's vanilla used to be one of the most sublime products on earth, but somewhere along the way it got turned into cheap tasting slop.

 

[HudsonHawk]

We only ever had vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and orange sherbert around here when I was little -- we'd heard of pistachio, but it was one of those exotic "big city" things you heard about in movies. You had your choice of Hood, Sealtest, Breyers, or the store brand, and it was always the same choice of flavors. Well, that and "Vanchocostraw" which is what we called what everybody else calls "Neapolitan."

Breyer's vanilla used to be one of the most sublime products on earth, but somewhere along the way it got turned into cheap tasting slop.

We called it "vanchocostraw" too. "Neopolitan" sounded so hoity toity. The best ice cream out there is Blue Bell (because the cows think Brenham is heaven), where by gum, a half-gallon is still a half-gallon. Now if we can just take care of that pesky listeria...

 

[DNO]

We only ever had vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and orange sherbert around here when I was little -- we'd heard of pistachio, but it was one of those exotic "big city" things you heard about in movies. You had your choice of Hood, Sealtest, Breyers, or the store brand, and it was always the same choice of flavors. Well, that and "Vanchocostraw" which is what we called what everybody else calls "Neapolitan."

Breyer's vanilla used to be one of the most sublime products on earth, but somewhere along the way it got turned into cheap tasting slop.

No Butterscotch Ripple? Used to be my favourite when I was a kid.

As far as quality, it seems most modern ice cream has become slop. There's a local maker, Kawartha Dairies, that still makes decent ice cream but it can be difficult to find.

 

[2jakes]

What I miss so much is the flavor of the chocolate malts from the drugstores in the ‘50s.

The ingredients/powder that was added to the ice cream & the ice cream as well,
is not the same as back then.

I also miss the original flavor of Ovaltine which came in crystal form.
Either you loved it or not.

 

[tonyb]

As one given to looking down his nose at all the yuppie/hoity-toity/poncy/whatever food and drink offerings these days, I surprised myself by finding quite notably superior the made-on-the-premises ice cream at the place a couple of miles from here. They don't offer a hundred flavors, more like a couple of dozen. It ain't cheap -- $3.75 minimally.

I had a similar epiphany with beer, back in my drinking days. None of that high-priced yuppie swill for me. Until I got a taste of a few varieties I quite liked. I never was a connoisseur, but I rarely thereafter drank anything made by Anheuser-Busch or Miller-Coors. Sure, the good stuff was markedly more expensive, but I rationalized the expense by observing that they didn't give away the lesser stuff.

 

[Fading Fast]

We only ever had vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and orange sherbert around here when I was little -- we'd heard of pistachio, but it was one of those exotic "big city" things you heard about in movies. You had your choice of Hood, Sealtest, Breyers, or the store brand, and it was always the same choice of flavors. Well, that and "Vanchocostraw" which is what we called what everybody else calls "Neapolitan."

Breyer's vanilla used to be one of the most sublime products on earth, but somewhere along the way it got turned into cheap tasting slop.

We lived near a Howard Johnson so, even as a kid, there were a lot of flavors of ice-cream in my world, but no argument from me on vanilla - a wonderful flavor when real vanilla is used (which doesn't have to be high end as the both the extract and even the bean is not crazy expensive relative to the amount you need to flavor something).

That said, Hojo's Buttercrunch was a personal favorite and my Dad would even - drum roll please - open up the wallet for HoJo's ice cream, he was a chocolate chip guy.

 

[swanson_eyes]

What I miss so much is the flavor of the chocolate malts from the drugstores in the ‘50s.

I had a chocolate malt Sunday night and almost regretted it. My system doesn't like sweets, but I let myself have something like that once a month or so.

 

[swanson_eyes]

What I don't get most of all is why anybody would want to drink twelve ounces of coffee in one sitting (or walking, as is more often the case.) What happened to the simple little 6 oz cup? Are people really in that much need of that much caffeine? Go to bed earlier.

I often can't sleep because of pain no matter what time I go to bed. I'm one of those who needs a double shot every morning. But the rest of the day I drink it for taste and it's decaf. I like 12-ounce latte.

 

[2jakes]

I had a chocolate malt Sunday night and almost regretted it. My system doesn't like sweets, but I let myself have something like that once a month or so.

​That’s what I mean about what is being passed as “chocolate malts" these days.

What ever ingredients is used today, is so chokingly sweet that it hurts my stomach !

 

[LizzieMaine]

What I miss so much is the flavor of the chocolate malts from the drugstores in the ‘50s.

The ingredients/powder that was added to the ice cream & the ice cream as well,
is not the same as back then.

Get Carnation malt powder from your local wholesale house -- it's the same stuff as used to be used at drugstore counters. No additional flavoring added. Or get Horlick's Malted Milk from England -- it used to be common in the US, but hasn't been sold here since the sixties.

 

[tonyb]

^^^^^

The only reason I'm familiar with this bit of trivia is because I have attended events at Horlick Field, a stadium in Racine, Wisconsin, the erstwhile home of the Horlick Company.

http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/museum/exhibits/horlicks/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horlicks

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Horlick

 

[2jakes]

Get Carnation malt powder from your local wholesale house -- it's the same stuff as used to be used at drugstore counters. No additional flavoring added. Or get Horlick's Malted Milk from England -- it used to be common in the US, but hasn't been sold here since the sixties.

​Horlick”s Malted Milk. That’s the one!

I didn’t know it was still made. I’ll check to see if I can order some from GB.

I owe you !

Someday...I’ll go up North & treat you to your choice steak with all your favorite trimmings ...

But for now.... A big Thank You !

jake,
malt junkie

 

[tonyb]

But leave out the onions!

 

[swanson_eyes]

Or try the Vermont Country Store. They have the tablets, though I don't know about powder. They have original Ovaltine. http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/...entials/Pancake_Mixes_and_More/Ovaltine/19559

 

[Fading Fast]

Or try the Vermont Country Store. They have the tablets, though I don't know about powder. They have original Ovaltine. http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/...entials/Pancake_Mixes_and_More/Ovaltine/19559

Ovaltine was wonderful growing up. We were an Ovaltine not a Hersey's house for chocolate milk. And, yes, I did spoon some of those crystals right into my mouth.

 

[2jakes]

Or try the Vermont Country Store. They have the tablets, though I don't know about powder. They have original Ovaltine. http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/...entials/Pancake_Mixes_and_More/Ovaltine/19559

Original Ovaltine...you got to be kidding !

Wow... Thank You !


I owe you too !

I’m sending you “good vibes” right now for your pain.
I hope you can get some good night’s sleep !

Take Care,
jake

 

[Zombie_61]

I'm not sure I get the angst over ordering. Yeah, they call their small, medium and large "tall", "grande" and "venti", but other than that, you simply ask for a "tall coffee" or a "venti cappuccino"...

My only real problem with it is that it's such pretentious bullspit. I know their cups are small, medium, and large, the kid behind the counter knows they're small, medium, and large, so just give me my coffee without the hipster language lesson.

I love going into places that advertise 900 flavors of ice cream and pondering the board for a long time and then finally saying "I think I'll have a small vanilla."

I do exactly that, and it always drives one particular friend into a near-fit. "But they have such-and-such flavor, and such-and-such flavor, and such-and-such flavor, and all you want is vanilla???" To be honest, a few times I've ordered vanilla just to get that rise out of him. lol