The name that rings a thousand bells!
Ice cream is one of the most, if not the most popular treat to children on the planet.
How can I not know that?
I have six grand children, three boys, three girls, all born with built-in Doppler Radar.
Once a week, in the afternoon, the Ice Cream truck comes by.
The kids could hear the musical sound of its bell from blocks away.
They get out of the house, pace back & forth, waiting at one of its regular stops, @49.
So many flavours to choose from: vanilla, chocolate, coffee, strawberry and many other berries.
I always enjoy watching them enjoy every bite and lick of their flavour-of-choice!
The smile on their faces remind me of my childhood back home.
Egir was his name, his lastname faded away already from my memory after a long long time.
A quiet man, kind and children-friendly.
He was the only one in town vending ice cream, in his traditional cart.
He had that bell, and we too could hear it from blocks away.
His ice cream comes in different colors: white, yellow, brown, maybe pink also.
The taste?
I swear and I think I could speak for those other kids who are still alive and kicking, that his ice cream was the best we've ever tasted!
Ice cream brands are sprouting, Magnolia, Selecta, Sorbete, and several "home-made" by young enterpreneurs that you can order from for a birthday party and other occasions.
I love ice cream since forever, and lucky enough to have tried many of the brands I mentioned.
And I'm not going to lie, they don't come close to Egir's ice cream!
What was Egir's secret?
A friend told me that he has watched him a few times sprinkled some ingredients to his ice cream during preparation.
What ingredients?, I asked him.
He motioned, he has his mouth zipped!
It was a hard work, no doubt.
He starts preparation very early in the morning, and it takes hours and hours.
9ish, 10ish, is typically when he starts selling his ice cream, around town.
Though the heat of the sun those days is of no comparison to what is driving us nuts these days, it was also searing!
I am aware, it was his only livelihood.
It was a monopoly, yes!
Lucrative?
So-so!
So what was that kept him going?
Then I remember my times in The States, being with my grandchildren.
It must have been the same smile on their faces savour their favourite ice cream, to the smile of the faces of the children savour his ice cream, back then.
As we celebrate Kalag-kalag today and tomorrow, let's not forget to say a little prayer for the soul of the man who brought a million smiles to the children of Aloran!