During the 1950s it was great fun to go to Faulkner's Rexall Drug Store and do the fountain thing. They made up even the Coca Cola's, with the girl shooting one of those pull down levers of carbnated water into a 5cent or a 10cent official Coca Cola glass, mixing up a real, live Coca Cola. She would put the ice in and slide it down the counter, like in an old cowboy movie saloon scene.
But Even Better....and the girls would use Real Mugs....was the House Specialty, another super concoction. It was so good we had to say our General Confession twice at Episcopal Mass. The beer mug was a standard sized beer mug type beer mug. They were kept in freezing compartment there in the service area behind the counter. The girls dressed like nurses, almost...just no little winged cap. A lot of children were wary of them because they looked like they might be hiding hypodermics somewhere.
The mug would first be injected with a couple of generous squirts of "real live chocolate syrup" before receiving a huge scoop of really globby gooey vanilla ice cream...Golden Jersey label...something like a Cadillac in terms of quality. Then the girl would slowly fill the mug with really great root beer, also made up from scratch. A little carbonated water, then a little base, then a little carbonated water, then a little more base. The base was sypplied by A&W Root Beer. The whole thing would become a huge magnificent frothy mess that required an easy-draft straw and an iced-tea spoon in order to enjoy it all. For that the mean old people wanted 25 cents. But the reason for this silly post is finally here. That drink was called a ''Black Cow". Sometimes these drinks were so good that we left a whole dime as a gratuity.
A soda jerk passing an ice cream soda between
the dispensing faucets. Pull for regular flow
push for high pressure skinny stream.
One had base for Coke, the other
carbonated water....
It was more fun back then, I guess. When we did something stupid, Mrs. Tomlin would come and scold us. Then our parents would find out and we'd catch it at home as well. I was only called down once. They had the best hamburgers, BLTs, and Club Sandwiches. On cold days they always had ground up fresh Mexican chocolate, and the girls would put whipped cream on top and a teeny squirt of the carbonated water.
Just thinking. Maybe the Old Gringo is waiting for the Cold Front. Thanks for your time and patience.
El Gringo Viejo....
