Welcome to Driving and Dining. We love discovering new places to eat while on the road, be they long-time established restaurants, concession stands on the side of the road, or annual festivals.
According to popsicle.com, cherry is the most popular ice pop flavor.
Popsicle Stick Jokes
Some brands of popsicles offer an extra treat – a joke printed on the stick! These are usually pretty corny, which means I love them of course. There is even a facebook page for popsicle stick jokes (5,752 members at the time of writing this article, so at least I’m not alone).
Popsicle History
Also known as ice pops, frozen juice treats, ice lollies, whatever you call them they are tasty icons of summer, childhood, vacations, and fun.
The word ‘popsicle’ is actually a brand name for a frozen treat that was invented in San Francisco by an 11 year old boy in 1905. That’s when Frank Epperson “left a mixture of powdered soda, water, and a stirring stick in a cup on his porch” (popsicle.com). The next morning he found it frozen, and it has been popular with kids of all ages ever since. His kids would ask for “Pop’s ’sicle” and that’s how the now famous name came up.
Healthy Popsicles
Not the original intention of popsicles, there are healthy variations out there now as well. You can buy popsicles made with 100% fruit juice and low calories popsicles. According to recent commercials, you can make your own popsicle by sticking sticks into small yogurt cups and freezing them. Or you can make popsicles out of vegetables, like this one from weelicious.com:
What Flavor Are You?
Take the quiz to find out what flavor of popsicle you are. I got blueberry which means that I am an unusual person who seeks out new and different experiences. Hmmm… I guess that’s why I’m here at dininganddriving.com writing about my love for concession food, local festivals, road trips, and diners… the blueberry earrings above are available at etsy.com from michael & sabriney.
Just when I’ve finished celebrating Sneak Some Zucchini On Your Neighbor’s Porch day (August 8), I realized that Potato Day is right around the corner on August 19th. I had a lot of fun celebrating SSZOYNP (see above) day this year because it was my first year with a vegetable garden and we have a lot of zucchinis! The picture below was taken by my neighbors (and good friends) after they found a big surprise on their doorstep. They recognized my handwriting, next time I will have to disguise it! (Image: Copyright K. Ford 2010.)
Celebrate Potato Day August 19
I’m not growing any potatoes (maybe next year) so I thought I’d get some ideas by looking around to see how other people celebrate.
Where Do They Come From?
“Genetic testing of the wide variety of cultivars and wild species suggests that the potato has a single origin in the area of southern Peru” (wikipedia). National Potato day in Peru was celebrated on May 30th in the Junin Region this year. It was organized by authorities to celebrate an increase in production and included an exhibition of the varieties of native potatoes (livinginperu.com).
American Potatoes
Wild potatoes grow in the U.S. and were part of the American Indian’s diet. Potatoes were already an important part of European cooking by the time the first settlers arrived in what is now the U.S. and “potatoes were planted in Idaho as early as 1838″ (wikipedia). Wild potatoes come in colorful varieties, like the ones pictured below:
Celebrate potato day by trying a different kind of potato – check at your local store and you might be surprised by what is available (they have purple potatoes at mine). Or, celebrate with a different kind of colorful potato…
Mr. Potato Head
The Controversial French Fries
Potatoes were introduced to Europe in the 1500’s but not popular in France until the 1800’s. The name ‘french fries’ comes from Thomas Jefferson’s description of “potatoes, fried in the French manner.” In fact, many Belgians claim that Belgium is the country of origin for fried potatoes. This tasty treat became controversial again in 2003 when conservatives wanted to call them “Freedom Fries” as part of a boycott of French goods and businesses (going so far as to attempt to remove the word ‘French’ from products). This confused my Freedom Poodle to no end, as he kept one wondering why he was still on a leash…
Posen Potato Festival
If you can hold off for a few days, you can celebrate your love of the potato at the Posen Potato Festival in Posen, Michigan. It features the potato as it’s main theme, but also celebrates the village’s Polish heritage with polkas, traditional clothing, and crafts. This year is the 59th annual festival and it is held Sept 10 – 12th.
There is also a parade and a fair, something called a “bump-n-run” (sounds risque, anyone know what that is?), as well as rides and tasty concession trailers (I’m betting there will be french fries there, and maybe even some potato filled perogies?!).
Potato Recipes
If you’re sad that you missed out on Sneak a Zucchini on Your Neighbor’s Porch Day (or if you were the lucky recipient of a zucchini) you can combine both holidays with a lovely recipe for Crispy Zucchini Potato Cakes with Smoked Salmon and Sour Cream from YNN.com.
Or, make Betty’s Super Flavorful Twice Baked Potatoes…
A roadside attraction is a “feature along the side of a road, that is frequently advertised with billboards to attract tourists. In general, these are places one might stop on the way to somewhere else, rather than being a final or primary destination in and of themselves” (wikipedia). Mainly they consist of giant versions of objects (a giant cross), strange collections (biggest ball of string, barb wire museum), or creatively shaped buildings and concession stands that are meant to encourage you to stop (a big ice cream cone, an elephant).
It seems like the roadside attraction is a peculiarly North American pursuit. There are more roadside attractions, particularly giant objects, in the US and Canada than anywhere else. The WLRA (World’s Largest Roadside Attractions) site lists attractions in a few other countries, including: Japan (giant Abacus), Spain (giant matchbook), and New Zealand (a giant sandfly, among others). Of course one could argue that Paris’ Eiffel tower and London’s Big Ben are roadside attractions, right?
This giant Easter egg is in Vegreville, Canada. It is a monument to the innocent lives lost during the dark times when a gigantic Easter Bunny terrorized the town… (Image: interestingplanet.com).
Roadside Attraction Resources
There are a few sites out there dedicated to the American roadside attraction. Here are the best:
US Roadside Attractions
My favorite site is RoadsideAmerica.com – I love to read about all of the strange, funny, and historical tourist stops. It is also interactive – visitors can leave tips and information about the sites, so there is always current information (for example, if a roadside attraction has been shut down). They even have an iPhone app and a ‘my sights’ function that allows you to plan your road trip. They also have the attractions categorized into themes and publish features like ‘Twistee Tales – Ice Cream Cone Buildings.’
Or, if you’d like your very own Twistee icecream shop, you can buy this one from FLA USA Businessses For Sale (FLBD.com).
Canadian Roadside Attractions
There is an extensive list, broken down by province at roadsideattractions.ca. It also has a lot of pictures.
What’s Your Favorite Roadside Attraction?
Share your stories in the comments below. Do you have a roadside attraction in your home town? Or a local festival? Let us know and and it may be featured in an upcoming post!
Ice + flavor = whatever you call it, it’s the perfect treat for a hot day at a carnival, state fair, rodeo, parade – any outdoor event!
Today I continue my regular feature about tasty concession treats. If you can buy it from a trailer, a cart, or a concession counter – I am probably writing (and drooling) about it. Some of my guilty pleasures so far: the hot dog cart, the corn dog, funnel cakes, and others.
Snow Cone Sounds
Here is a Snow Cone soundtrack just for you (click play and enjoy the music while you read this article):
One Snow Cone, Please!
Ancient Greeks enjoyed shaved ice mixed with honey and fruit.
Snow Cones In America
The snow cone made its first North American appearance during the Texas State Fair of 1919. Popular flavors here are grape, blue raspberry, and orange. In Mexico one of the most popular flavors is cucumber, while Colombians add milk to their snow cones, and Malaysians enjoy them with red beans (Michelle Steele, Murray’s Shaved Ice and the Snow Cone History, archradio.com.)
In 1934 Ernest Hansen patented the first snow cone machine. The Snoopy Snow Cone maker came out in 1979. I remember being insanely jealous of my friend when she got one for Christmas (Snow cones in winter? When you are a kid, absolutely!) I remember using snow and apple juice to make my own snow cones. They weren’t as good, and it’s never a good idea to eat yellow snow, even when you’re pretty sure it’s just the apple juice.
Earlier this year a Michigan man tried to beat the Guinness world record for the largest snow cone, an interesting endeavour for a man made entirely out of marshmallows. Oh, wait that’s the Michelin man.
The temperature in Dubai can reach 118 degrees, so it’s not a surprise that street vendors selling snow cones are very popular. Here is some footage of a snow cone being made on the streets of Dubai.
Drivingandining regulars know that I’ve decided to feature some of the tasty (and sometimes surprising) foods you can buy from concession trailers, carts, or counters. If this is your first visit, welcome! Check out some of my other concession obsessions: the hot dog cart, the corn dog, funnel cakes, and others.
The Big Pretzel
The big pretzel falls into that special category of food that always tastes purchased from a concession stand and enjoyed while sitting outdoors. Or course, you can stand and enjoy a big pretzel, but it’s a lot harder to dip it into hot mustard. And a big pretzel without hot mustard is just not right.
History
Originating in Europe, the pretzel is a popular American snack. They can be purchased in the smaller, harder variety (sticks, pretzel-shapes, circles) at grocery stores, convenience stores, gas stations, etc. The larger variety is available at concession stands, shopping malls, and from street vendors all over the country. The average American eats 1 1/2 pounds of pretzels every year.
The Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery, in Lititz, Pennsylvania, was “first commercial pretzel bakery in America” (founded in 1861). It is still operating and they also give tours. For more pretzel history, visit their website.
The Best Big Pretzels in America
Pretzel-adelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is so well known for its pretzels that it is called “The Big Pretzel.” It used to be the home of the Pretzel Museum (sadly, now closed). Their most widely available pretzels are from the Philly Pretzel Factory (available at locations in several states on the eastern side of the U.S.).
Leavenworth, Washington
Nestled in the mountains, with skiing in the winter and moutainbiking in the summer, Leavenworth is worth a visit any time of the year. They call themselves “the most outstanding Bavarian Village this side of the Atlantic.” I visited during the winter for their Christmas markets and it was beautiful (warning: make sure you have snow tires and/or chains if you are visiting during the snowy season). Check out their webcam if you want to see how beautiful it is there right now. If you are heading there this month, you can enjoy some traditional Bavarian food and drink and then watch an outdoor live performance of the Sound of Music.
Twist It Up!
Watch this video if you want to make your own big pretzels or if you are just curious to see how they are made.
That’s right, it’s ice cream month – a great way to really kick into summertime! Ice cream is the official mascot of summer holiday, after all! Ice cream is welcome at any summer event: the beach, a picnic, the playground, a roadtrip, and the back yard!
Unfortunately, it’s not easy to bring along on a trip – so that is why ice cream concession stands, ice cream trucks, and ice cream carts are so very important (and so very popular!).
Sweet Vacation Ideas
My dream place to celebrate ice cream month would be Ben & Jerry’s in Waterbury Vermont, where you can take a tour of the factory and sample ice cream. If Vermont is too far, you can celebrate at home by checking out the cool games at their website.
Ice Cream Timeline
So That’s Why They Call ItCONEy Island!?
Actually, the ice cream cone reportedly made it’s first U.S. appearance at the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904 (so did Cotton Candy, by the way). There are numerous people claiming that their ancestors were the very first ice cream cone vendors at the fair, but cones were used long before that in Europe so they did not invent the cone.
An inventor named F. Bruckman, from Portland, Oregon invented the first machine that manufactured cones in 1912, before that they were all hand-rolled. In 1928, ice cream drumsticks (a pre-packaged icecream cone) were invented by a Texan named “Stubby” Parker (before that, his nickname was “Slim” but he kept eating all of the mistakes… kidding…). (Above: ice cream cone kitchen timer, available at karmakiss.net)
There are so many great things you can do with ice cream: ice cream cakes, sandwiches, cones (and there are different types of cones), toppings… Plus there is soft serve ice cream which probably deserves its own article!
Play With Your Food
Check out this sweet little ice cream play set from Melissa & Doug.
Kids can play with this gigantic ice cream cone at the Dairy View Country Store in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. (They also have an ice cream parlor that serves homemade ice cream!)
This year I am trying to grow my very own vegetables in our backyard for the first time. I’m growing a little bit of everything this year – sort of an experiment. If things go well, I will expand the space next year and grow some serious amounts. Right now I have three tomato plants and three foot rows of cucumbers, zucchinis, carrots, lettuce, beans, spinach, and celery. I also have a couple of pumpkin plants, one strawberry plant, and a row of corn growing along my fence. So far so good!
Of course, my one strawberry plant has given me a total of 5 strawberries so far, so it’s not like I’m expecting high yields of anything this time around. I still rely on the weekend Farmer’s Market in my neighborhood to get my locally grown food. It’s great to support local farmers and local business, and it’s eco-friendly in other ways because we walk to the market from our house.
M-m-m-m-m-arket
All good things, but I have to admit my very favorite part is when we buy a treat from the concession stands that are there! Coffee has never tasted so good as the one I get from the truck that is there every week. My daughter and I pick out some tasty home-baked treats from the vendors or a hot dog from the hot dog cart and then we spread out a blanket and have a little picnic. Grocery shopping has never felt so good.
Boulder County Farmer’s Market
You can enjoy a meal prepared by a local chef at Boulder County Farmer’s Market. You can also buy ice cream, smoothies, falafels, and hotdogs at this market. Hungry yet?
Salt Lake City’s Downtown Farmer’s Market
The market is in Historic Pioneer Park and has over 250 vendors, including prepared foods and beverages along the food fairway in the market’s center.
Check out localharvest.org for information about farmer’s markets near you. Many markets begin in June so they are already going! There are also winter markets so you can buy fresh, local food all year round. Vendors will change and many markets have special events or themes from one week to the next, so it never gets boring.
Last year the Huffington Post published an article about the Top 10 Farmer’s Markets in the US. Portland, New York, San Francisco, Austin, Boulder, and Sante Fe are a few cities that made the list. There is also a list of the top 25 markets at diddit.com.
Carnivores can buy this cheeky tshirt at zazzle. However, if you like veggie dogs there are a lot of options out there, and some of them taste pretty good! I’m not a vegetarian, but I still eat veggie dogs once in a while anyways. My daughter likes them, too. Concession stands and street vendors have started offering veggie dogs on their menus, too. Visit chowhound for veggie dog reviews. You can get veggie smokies, veggie bratwurst, and flavored veggie dogs. For example, Yves has a hot’n’spicy chili dog (chili-flavored veggie wieners).
Stuffed
Hot dog toppings are essential, but hot dog fillings are very interesting. My personal favorite is the jalapeno cheese smokey (with mustard, sauerkraut, and hot sauce on top of course!). Apparently the come in different sizes, too – check out these cocktail smokies from Carolina Pride.
Or, instead of stuffing a hot dog, you can stuff the hot dog in… jello? This jello mold holds hot dogs, boiled eggs, and olives. Um… yum???
Visit the super cute animated zoo at Nippon Ham – it’s inhabited by animals made out of hot dogs. The site is in Japanese, but luckily there are step-by-step drawings to guide you. My favorite is the wiener dog made out of… well, a wiener!
Hot Dog Desserts
Texastwisted.com features an ice cream hot dog on a sponge cake bun with lots of delicious toppings (‘hold’ the ketchup and mustard, thanks!). There’s a whole page of delicious desserts at that site, so go check it out.
Hot Dog Dance
One of the least-lame kids’ songs ever, by one of the greatest bands (“They Might Be Giants”).
If you’re a regular reader of drivingandining, you know that I’ve decided to feature some of the tasty (and sometimes surprising) foods you can buy from concession trailers, carts, or counters. If this is your first visit, welcome! Check out some of my other concession obsessions: the hot dog cart, the corn dog, funnel cakes, and others.
Freshly Squeezed Lemonade
I’ve featured concession snacks, desserts, and main courses here so far, but this is the first time I’m featuring a beverage obsession. Freshly squeezed lemonade tastes best when enjoyed outside on a hot, sunny day – so I guess that is why it is such a perfect concessiondrink.
History
According to yumsugar.com, Medieval Egyptians first enjoyed lemonade over 1500 years ago.
Recipe
When Life Gives You Lemons… Well You Know What To Do…
Allrecipes.com has several different lemonade recipes if life has given you some lemons: everything from ‘vintage lemonade,’ ‘old-fashioned pink lemonade,’ and ‘easy lemonade.’ The main ingredients in lemonade are water, sugar, and lemon juice – you could probably experiment and come up with your own tasty version. Perhaps you might even want to spice up your lemonade with some ginger, or brighten it up with strawberry slices or mint leaves for garnish.
Sweet Ideas
Make a Stand and Take a Stand
Sunkist encourages kids to create and operate their own lemonade stands for charity (Take A Stand with Sunkist). According to their website, “more than 65,000 kids from every state in the U.S. and every province in Canada” have signed up.
Lemon Candy
Use these jelly candy lemon slices from groovycandies.com as an extra sweet garnish for your lemonade glasses, or as a topping on a lemon-flavored cupcakes if you want to expand your lemonade stand’s business.
Fun for Kids
Check out this cute mini lemonade stand from sassafras.It comes with mix for lemonade and lemon cookies, utensils, a hat, a cookie cutter, and more.
America’s Best Lemonade Stand
You can learn a lot about lemonade and fundraising from these two young entrepreneurs from North Carolina.
Memorial Day began as Decoration Day, a day to honor soldiers who died during the Civil War. A Federal holiday, Memorial Day grew to become a day to remember all men and women who died during US military service. Traditionally people visit cemeteries or memorials to pay tribute to fallen military personnel. In some communities, volunteers place flags at each grave. In Lincoln, Nebraska, Girl Scouts place roses at each grave. The flag is also traditionally flown at half mast from dawn until noon. Wreaths are laid to rest at war monuments and the names of fallen military personnel are read out during memorial ceremonies. Members of the National Guard may also fly over the events, weather permitting.
Here Comes Summer
Memorial Day falls on the last Monday in May, so it has also come to symbolize the beginning of summer. Families often enjoy their first picnic of the season during Memorial Day weekend. Participation in a community event as a family is a wonderful way to spend some quality time together, enrich the younger generation with some history, and honor every man and woman who has bravely protected the American way of life.
New York City, NY
In New York City, Memorial Day is part of Fleet Week, which honors the US Navy and Marine Corps. Families enjoy touring the ships, attending live concerts, watching the parade of ships, and watching the various contests. Worried about the expense of a trip to the “Big City”? Well, almost all of the events are free!
While you’re there make sure you go the longest continuously running hot dog concession stand in North America, Nathan’s Hotdogs (Coney Island)!
Surprise, AZ
In comparison, Surprise is a small town – yet they still make a big effort to “honor veterans and active military personnel who have and are protecting our great country.” They have a parade and a pancake breakfast.
Cape Cod, MA
‘Cape Cod AMaritime Days‘ overlap with Memorial Day weekend. You can learn about Cape Cod’s history, learn about boat building, and even sail back into time on a replica 1886 vessel! Make sure you stop by the ‘Cape Cod Cares For The Troops’ “Troops in the Spotlight” -there is a changing of the guard every hour for 24 hours starting at 11:30am on May 30th.
