Sugar 'N Spice and Everything Nice.

While visiting Seattle last spring, my bro-in-law and sister, who both have sweet tooth, would regularly drive us to a Baskin and Robbin's  for usual doses of ice cream.  I'm a regular fan of ice cream, that is, I always keep a tub in my refrigerator.

As to which brands, I try everything - from Baskin and Robbins and Haagen Dazs, to DQ, Ben and Jerrys and some lesser known brands.  Occasionally, when I go to Chinese groceries, I pick up a Magnolia.  

If I get a Magnolia ,  I almost always pick up "ube."  But with all the other brands, I go for chocolate, rum raisin, vanilla and rocky road.

At Baskin and Robbins, I always choose Butter Pecan, Vanilla Swiss Almond, Jamoca or Very Berry Strawberry.

At Japanese restaurants, their dessert usually consists only of ice cream, and only two choices - green tea or red beans.  I love both.

Growing up, we kids relied on the "Mamang Sorbetero Mang Delfin/Tony," who used to ply the streets of Mandaluyong with his clean ice cream wagon and equally clean clothes.

When buying, we brought our own cup/glass for Mang Delfin to scoop our ice cream into, and got the sweet or ordinary cone on top.

Occasionally, if our mother was not looking, we'd call the ice drop man for a stick of ube or mongo ice drop.  If we had extra school allowance, we indulged on a Magnolia twin popsies.

If there were birthdays to celebrate or during some fiestas, my mother ordered ice cream from Mang Delfin, and it came in that huge, aluminum tube, immersed in dry ice.

I loved those "sorbetes" flavours - ube, queso, mango, macapuno.  And during those good 'ol days,  it was hygienically safe to consume those so-called "dirty ice cream."  Today, I am not so sure.

I've always wondered what that "eat all you can Haagen Dazs ice cream," is all about. For 400 pesos?  I can't try it.  My blood sugar level wouldn't allow me to. 

Which reminds me, we tried the eat all you can merienda/snack at Barrio Fiesta the other day. It costs 120 pesos a piece.  For that amount, you can eat arroz caldo, ginatan, palitaw, dinuguan, puto and kutsinta, maja, lumpiang prito, pancit, pandesal with carne norte, pritong saguing na saba, etc.

After that snack, I had to chew on a Ricolla.