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ice cream

The Ice Cream Sandwich and The Pushcart Peddler

August 22, 2012 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN 1 Comment

Oh, those frozen confections of a layer of ice cream sandwiched between two biscuits, cookies, or slices of cake. Hurray for the ice cream sandwich which ranks right up there as one of the best selling ice cream “novelties” in the US.

At the beginning of the 20th century, New York City’s elite bought their scoops of ice cream in fancy confectioners’ shops – often shaped as fruit and vegetables to be served at high end parties.

The rest of the population bought their ice cream from street peddlers who scooped ice cream into “penny licks,” glasses the customer licked clean, and then returned to the vendor who washed them by swirling the glass in a bucket of water.

There was another street vendor option called the “hokey pokey,” a small slice cut of ice cream wrapped in paper that was cut from an eighteen inch long brick composed of layers of three flavors of ice cream. Each slice cost one or two pennies — children could buy half a slice for half the price.

The Invention Of The Ice Cream Sandwich

Until an enterprising pushcart peddler on the Lower East Side of New York City came up with a genius idea in the summer of 1900.

That’s when the ice cream sandwich that we have come to know and love was probably invented as a handheld and cheap treat.

In July 1900 The New York Tribune published a piece about the peddler: “The ice cream sandwich man, who sells quarter-inch layers of alleged ice cream between tiny slabs of water wafers, did a big business during the hot spell and his field of operation was within the district inhabited by the Nordic enclaves, and his pushcart was elaborately decorated with signs in runic characters. He made the sandwiches quickly in a tin mold, and was kept so busy that he could not make change, but insisted on receiving the actual price for each ice cream sandwich — 1 cent.”

The Ice Cream Sandwich As An Equalizer

Initially, ice cream sandwiches seemed to serve as equalizers.

An article in the New York Sun (August 19, 1900) stated that down on Wall Street “the brokers themselves got to buying ice cream sandwiches and eating them in a democratic fashion side by side on the sidewalk with the messengers and the office boys.”

But, ice cream sandwiches were quickly made their way indoors, got dressed up, and were served on plates with knives and forks for upscale clientele. But on the streets of Manhattan, the cold treats were still selling like hot potatoes – the peddlers were so busy they couldn’t eve take time to make change. It was pay with a penny or no ice cream sandwich.  Who said exact change only became necessary for bus fares and parking meters?

Some Facts and Some Trivia

  • Nationally, we eat, on average, 48 ice cream sandwiches per second
  • If all the ice cream sandwiches made in a year were placed end to end, they would circle Earth 3 1/2 times
  • 30-44 year olds buy the most ice cream sandwiches
  • People on the eastern seaboard eat almost 50% of all ice cream sandwiches
  • The ice cream sandwich is such an American institution that it is sold at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.
  • A regular Good Humor vanilla ice cream sandwich (56g) has 140 calories, 3g fat, 26g carbs, 2g protein
  • National Ice Cream Sandwich Day is August 2nd.

 

 

Filed Under: Food for Fun and Thought Tagged With: food facts, ice cream, ice cream novelty, ice cream sandwich, summer ice cream treat

Vanilla or Chocolate Chunk: What Your Ice Cream Choice Says About You

July 3, 2012 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY

Some Ice Cream Fun Facts

“If you love Double Chocolate Chunk, you tend to be lively, creative and dramatic. Always the life of the party, you charm everyone you meet with your enthusiasm and sense of style. You enjoy being in the spotlight and prefer to be in the company of friends rather than left alone to reflect on life. You prefer passion and excitement in your romantic relationships, and require a lot of attention from your mate.”

“There is nothing plain about Vanilla. In fact, if you love Vanilla, you are actually a colorful, dramatic risk taker who relies more on intuition than logic. Emotionally expressive and idealistic, you tend to set high goals for yourself, and push yourself to meet and exceed them. On the romantic front, you tend to rely on secure romantic relationships that fulfill your emotional needs while working toward future objectives.”

Filed Under: Food for Fun and Thought Tagged With: double chocolate chunk ice cream, food for fun and thought, ice cream, vanilla ice cream

Some Lower Calorie Alternatives If You Like Your Ice Cream With Toppings Rather Than Naked

June 12, 2012 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

Some people like their ice cream without any embellishment, and for others, the more the better.  Sometimes there’s nothing better than an ice cream sundae or a waffle cone with a bunch of toppings.

Ice cream can be topped with just about anything can be made with just about anything and I freely admit that for me, the best part is choosing what goes on top of ice cream, not the ice cream itself.

So Many Choices

You can put just about anything on ice cream  — and most likely — someone, somewhere in the world has chosen some pretty random and unique toppings to put on their plain old vanilla or some esoteric flavor that they love.

Toppings Can Add A Mountain Of Calories

The problem is, of course, that the standard fare:  toppings like hot fudge, whipped cream, peanuts, walnuts in syrup, crushed heath bar, caramel sauce – can all add hundreds of calories and not much nutrition to your sundae or cone.  It is likely that nutrition is not your first thought when visions of ice cream dance in your head, but calories (and perhaps nutrition) might be.

Here’s the nutrition in some common ice cream toppings:

  • Smucker’s Spoonable Hot Fudge Topping:  2tbsp, 140 calories, 4g fat, 24g carbs, 2g protein
  • Smucker’s Spoonable Ice Cream Topping Pecans in Syrup Topping:  1tbsp, 170 calories, 10g fat, 20g carbs, 1g protein
  • Regular Redi Whip:  2tbsp, 20 calories, 2g fat, 1g carbs
  • Cool Whip, extra creamy:  2tbsp, 32 calories
  • Regular M&M’s:  10 pieces,103 calories, 5.2g fat, 12.1g carbs, 1.9g protein
  • Peanut M&M’s:  about 16 pieces, 200 calories, 10.15g fat, 23.48g carbs, 3.72g protein
  • Peanuts (1oz): 160 calories, 14g fat, 5g carbs, 7g protein

Some Stand-bys That Are Lower In Calories

  • Rainbow Sprinkles (Mr. Sprinkles):  1 tsp, 20 calories, 0.5g fat, 3g carbs, 0g protein
  • Chocolate Sprinkles (jimmies):  1 tbsp, 35 calories, 0g fat, 6g carbs, 0g protein
  • Smucker’s Spoonable Ice Cream Topping, Light Hot Fudge, Fat Free:  2 tbs, 90 calories, 23g carbs, 2g protein
  • 10 mini marshmallows:  22 calories, 0 fat, 5.7g carbs, .1g protein
  • 18 gummi bears: 140 calories, 0 fat, 43.5g carbs, 0 protein

Think Outside The Box For Lower Calorie Choices

If the world is your oyster in terms of toppings, why not think about fruit, cereal, or a crushed up 100 calorie pack of anything?

Here are some other suggestions:

  • Smucker’s Spoonable Pineapple Topping:  2 tbsp, 100 calories, 0g fat
  • Regular Redi Whip:  2 tbsp, 20 calories, 2g fat, 1g carbs
  • Fat Free Redi Whip:  2 tbsp, 5 calories, 0g fat, 1g carbs
  • Cool whip, light:  2 tbsp, 16 calories
  • Cool Whip, fat-free:  2 tbsp, 15 calories, 43.5g carbs, 0 protein
  • 1 mini box of raisins (.5 oz):  42 calories, 0.1g fat, 11.1g carbs, 0.4g protein
  • One medium banana: 105 calories, 0 fat, 27g carbs, 1g protein
  • One cup strawberry halves: 49 calories, 0.5g fat, 11.7g carbs, 1g protein
  • Sugar-free Jello pudding:  60 calories
  • One cup Froot Loops:  118 calories, 0.6g fat, 26.7g carbs, 1.4g protein
  • One cup blueberries:  83 calories, 0.5g fat, 21g carbs, 1.1g protein
  • Crushed pretzel sticks, 1 oz:  110 calories, 1g fat, 23g carbs, 3g protein

Filed Under: Calorie Tips, Healthy Eating, Food Facts, Food for Fun and Thought, Manage Your Weight, Restaurants, Diners, Fast Food, Snacking, Noshing, Tasting, Takeout, Prepared Food, Junk Food Tagged With: calorie tips, eat out eat well, food facts, food for fun and thought, healthy eating, ice cream, ice cream cone, ice cream sundae, ice cream toppings, lower calorie ice cream toppings, weight management strategies

How Many Calories Top Your Ice Cream Sundae?

August 16, 2011 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

Do You Like Your Ice Cream Naked Or With Toppings?

Sometimes there’s nothing better than an ice cream sundae. Sundaes can be made with just about anything and I freely admit that my favorite part is the stuff you put on top of ice cream, not the ice cream itself.

So Many Choices

You can put just about anything on ice cream.  Perhaps broccoli or smoked salmon isn’t your choice, but somebody, somewhere in the world, has probably gotten very creative with ice cream toppings.

Toppings Can Add A Mountain Of Calories

The standard fare:  toppings like hot fudge, whipped cream, peanuts, walnuts in syrup, crushed heath bar, caramel sauce – can all add hundreds of calories to your sundae.  For instance:

  • Smucker’s Spoonable Hot Fudge Topping:  2tbsp, 140 calories, 4g fat, 24g carbs, 2g protein
  • Smucker’s Spoonable Ice Cream Topping Pecans in Syrup Topping:  1tbsp, 170 calories, 10g fat, 20g carbs, 1g protein
  • Regular Redi Whip:  2tbsp, 20 calories, 2g fat, 1g carbs
  • Cool Whip, extra creamy:  2tbsp, 32 calories
  • Regular M&M’s:  10 pieces,103 calories, 5.2g fat, 12.1g carbs, 1.9g protein
  • Peanut M&M’s:  about 16 pieces, 200 calories, 10.15g fat, 23.48g carbs, 3.72g protein
  • Peanuts (1oz): 160 calories, 14g fat, 5g carbs, 7g protein

Some Stand-bys Are Lower In Calories

  • Rainbow Sprinkles (Mr. Sprinkles):  1 tsp, 20 calories, 0.5g fat, 3g carbs, 0g protein
  • Chocolate Sprinkles (jimmies):  1 tbsp, 35 calories, 0g fat, 6g carbs, 0g protein
  • Smucker’s Spoonable Ice Cream Topping, Light Hot Fudge, Fat Free:  2 tbs, 90 calories, 23g carbs, 2g protein
  • 10 mini marshmallows:  22 calories, 0 fat, 5.7g carbs, .1g protein
  • 18 gummi bears: 140 calories, 0 fat, 43.5g carbs, 0 protein

Think Outside The Box For Lower Calorie Choices

The world is your oyster in terms of toppings.  Why not fruit, cereal, or a crushed up 100 calorie pack of anything? Here are some other suggestions:

  • Smucker’s Spoonable Pineapple Topping:  2 tbsp, 100 calories, 0g fat
  • Regular Redi Whip:  2 tbsp, 20 calories, 2g fat, 1g carbs
  • Fat Free Redi Whip:  2 tbsp, 5 calories, 0g fat, 1g carbs
  • Cool whip, light:  2 tbsp, 16 calories
  • Cool Whip, fat-free:  2 tbsp, 15 calories, 43.5g carbs, 0 protein
  • 1 mini box of raisins (.5 oz):  42 calories, 0.1g fat, 11.1g carbs, 0.4g protein
  • One medium banana: 105 calories, 0 fat, 27g carbs, 1g protein
  • One cup strawberry halves: 49 calories, 0.5g fat, 11.7g carbs, 1g protein
  • Sugar-free Jello pudding:  60 calories
  • One cup Froot Loops:  118 calories, 0.6g fat, 26.7g carbs, 1.4g protein
  • One cup blueberries:  83 calories,  0.5g fat, 21g carbs, 1.1g protein
  • Crushed pretzel sticks, 1 oz:  110 calories, 1g fat, 23g carbs, 3g protein

Filed Under: Calorie Tips, Healthy Eating, Food Facts, Manage Your Weight, Shopping, Cooking, Baking, Snacking, Noshing, Tasting Tagged With: calorie tips, calories, food facts, ice cream, ice cream toppings, low calorie, snacks

Late Night – Open Freezer Door – Spoon In Hand Scenario

August 9, 2011 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

So who hasn’t found themselves standing in the frozen fog shoving around frozen containers of frozen leftovers from last Thanksgiving looking for the container of Haagen-Dazs or Ben and Jerry’s or whatever brand you’ve got lurking in there.

If you’re a goner and there’s no stopping the oncoming ice cream assault, here’s a way to modify it – somewhat!

The Size Of the Container

The size of the container – or plate – or bowl – can often determine how much you ultimately eat.  If you stand there with spoon in hand and just attack the container, in the blink of an eye it’s possible to polish off an entire pint or the better portion of a quart.

If there’s no turning back from the ice cream, at least try to make a deal with yourself and scoop some into a bowl – and make it a smaller dessert bowl not a monster size cereal or soup bowl. Then you’ve practiced portion control and had your ice cream, too.  You actually might not hate yourself so much in the morning.

Filed Under: Calorie Tips, Healthy Eating, Food Facts, Manage Your Weight, Snacking, Noshing, Tasting Tagged With: ice cream, mindful eating, mindless eating, plate size, portion control, weight management strategies

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