An Ice Cream Treat

Don't know what the hell this is?  Well, neither did I.  But, from the "everything old can be new again" department, I am now officially a fan of the Cool-A-Coo.

Yes, I will explain.

For the first several decades of Dodger Stadium, there were several well-known ice cream concoctions to cool off hot fans, which is an oxymoron in itself.  You had the Sealtest malt cups, which, according to legend, cost 25 cents.  That was back in the day when Sandy Koufax' annual salary was only about a dollar more.  Well, the malts still exist, but they're not made by Sealtest and you need about 16 0r 17 more quarters to buy one.

I've heard from other oldtimers that Sealtest made a delicious ice cream sandwich, also for 25 cents.  That also went the way of Darren Dreifort and Raul Mondesi.  The speciality ice cream sandwich at Chavez Ravine is currently one of those Nestle's Toll House confections and you better not let Michelle Obama see you eating one.  The nutrition fact panel on the wrapper lists calorie counts in the thousands, not the hundreds.

Also discontinued about 15 years ago was the aforementioned Cool-A-Coo.  Suddenly, like Joe DiMaggio, baseball fans looked around and it was gone.  Unlike the other ice creams that melted before your eyes, the Cool-A-Coo was not a creation of some big dairy company.  It was fashioned by a smaller company in East Los Angeles and the owner simply renamed the thing and distributed it to a lot of bodegas which are all held up for robbery on a daily basis.

But the legend continued on at the ballpark.   Over the years, I had heard from season ticket oldtimers about the glorious wonders of the Cool-A-Coo.  It was delicious.  It was like sex.  The damn thing apparently could cure cancer.  Oh, where have you gone, Cool-A-Coo?  A nation turns its lonely eyes to you.  Woo hoo hoo.

Well, the new Dodger owners were singing the same tune.  And one of the first things they did was seek out just how the Cool-A-Coo could come home.  They tracked down the new owner of the patent and luckily he had not been held at gunpoint of late.  Could he return it to the fold? 

Well, it took several months, but, at last, the Cool-A-Coo was back triumphantly on the last home stand.  And its return made fans forget the Dodgers' sliding playoff hopes and Matt Kemp's current confusion at bat.  It's amazing what 700 or 800 calories can do. 

Now, mind you, the original Cool-A-Coo was gone from the scene before I had made my first regular Dodger Stadium appearance about a decade ago.  And, last Friday, the talk all over the ballpark had nothing to do with batting averages or Clayton Kershaw's nagging hip issues.  Nope, it was all about the Cool-A-Coo. 

And my first ever sampling of this legendary taste treat.

If I'm going to have an ice cream snack at a night game, I always make it around the fifth inning.  But, others around me couldn't wait.  I saw some of the season ticket holders next door virtually mug the vendor when he showed up with his pouch full of Cool-A-Coos and dry ice.  The game time temperature was 95 degrees.  That dry ice better be working or my first Cool-A-Coo would be a disintegrating Cool-A-Crap. 

Meanwhile, I watched the other fans savor their first taste of nirvana and eternal glory in years.  Gingerly opening the wrapper and carefully peeling it back for their initial bite.  I watched one guy let the virgin morsels travel around his tongue.  And then a smile like I have never seen before.  Oh, perhaps the Cool-A-Coo also assists in erectile dysfunction.  His satisfaction was that pronounced.  Not only was he enjoying his Cool-A-Coo, but he might actually have to smoke a cigarette afterwards.

After watching the same scene play out over and over like El Exigente tasting coffee in the bowels of Brazil, it was my turn.  One Cool-A-Coo, please.

Oh, yeah.  It was that good.  Who's got a Pall Mall?

So, what's in this damn thing?

Well, ice cream's at its inner core.  There is a hint of cinnamon.  The vanilla is sandwiched by two oatmeal cookies.  And it's covered with a darker variety of chocolate.  On a warm night, it's a gooey adventure.   But, oh, so good.

I'm sold.  I closed my eyes and let it all sink in.  Hell, I wasn't around this ballyard when there was Sandy and Dandy Don and Maury Wills stealing bases along with Doris Day's heart.  But, for five sweet minutes, I was a Dodger fan in the 60s. 

And, maybe it was my imagination, but my knees didn't feel so bad after my very first Cool-A-Coo.

A wonderful touch to a baseball season that is ending too soon.  How can I buy these things for my home freezer?

Dinner last night:  Steak and salad.