At home, right around snack time, my stomach would rumble like clockwork. Since it was Tuesday and I had soccer in downtown New York City, I knew where my hunger would lead me. Finally, after what seemed to be an exceedingly long subway ride, I ran up the block to 24th Street. I saw the blue awning protruding out the side of the red brick building and under the bright red letters reading “Ralphs.” Additionally, there was an illustration of icy smiley faces on the awning. Ralphs Italian Ices has locations all over the tri-state area of my hometown: Manhattan, Long Island, Queens, New Jersey, and Staten Island. Throughout all of the locations, the building structure and method in which a customer orders his or her food is identical. The consumer orders outside a window located directly underneath the blue awning attached to the building.
Ralphs has an array of sherbet flavors that range from the typical icy flavors of Cherry, Lime, Orange, and Passion Fruit, to wild and creative mixture flavors such as Banzai Banana, Peanut Butter Cookie Dough, Pineapple Cheesecake, Rainbow Cookie, and Crazy Coconut. Personally, I can never go wrong with Graham Cracker sherbet. The coolness of the ice, mixed with the crunch of the graham crackers, creates the perfect balance of textures.
If you venture on to enjoy the sherbet at Ralphs, then there is one vital piece of information that must be known beforehand. There are no toppings or cones that accompany the frozen treats, for according to Ralphs, “they are not necessary.” As a frequent customer, I can definitely attest to the statement that there is nothing else required to accompany the deliciousness of the sherbet.
Now what is a girl supposed to do when she discovers that her favorite “hold me over” is nowhere to be found on her college campus? That’s right; I had to find a substitute. After my first week at Emory University, I found my “Ralphs.” Although Freshens is classified as a smoothie vender, it also sells cakes, milk shakes, and frozen yogurt. I have never been characterized much as a fro-yo girl, but desperate times call for desperate measures. One Wednesday I was hungrier than ever, and so I decided to prance around COX for a good fifteen minutes to find that perfect 4:00p.m. bite. I passed by Freshens a few times, and by the third go-around I decided to give it a try.
The two women working there were extremely polite and accommodating. Since I was a new customer who obviously did not know what I was doing, they not only let me take my sweet time, but also allowed me to try all of the flavors. I carefully tested my pallet with Strawberry, Vanilla, Chocolate, Cookies ‘n Cream, and Raspberry. I landed on what some may call mundane: plain yogurt. But have no fear, I had a strategy in mind. I would get the tart tasting yogurt and fill in the missing flavor with toppings. At Freshens there are so many topping to choose from; being the indecisive person I am, this part got a little tricky. The toppings seemed endless: M&Ms, coconut shavings, blueberries, white chocolate chips, Heath bars, strawberries, and so many more. A small serving can accommodate up to three toppings, so I went with my gut and choose granola, Butterfinger bites, and M&Ms. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much. How good could frozen yogurt be from a place I had never even heard of? But to my surprise, this was a decent snack. Now, it may just have been my excellent selection of yogurt and toppings, but the cool, tangy yogurt mixed with the crunchy and sweet toppings definitely got my taste buds going. Bite after bite I ate up my afternoon snack with satisfaction. I happily found a snack at college that is not only a respectable “hold me over,” but also one that can be paid for with Dooley Dollars!
The two women working there were extremely polite and accommodating. Since I was a new customer who obviously did not know what I was doing, they not only let me take my sweet time, but also allowed me to try all of the flavors. I carefully tested my pallet with Strawberry, Vanilla, Chocolate, Cookies ‘n Cream, and Raspberry. I landed on what some may call mundane: plain yogurt. But have no fear, I had a strategy in mind. I would get the tart tasting yogurt and fill in the missing flavor with toppings. At Freshens there are so many topping to choose from; being the indecisive person I am, this part got a little tricky. The toppings seemed endless: M&Ms, coconut shavings, blueberries, white chocolate chips, Heath bars, strawberries, and so many more. A small serving can accommodate up to three toppings, so I went with my gut and choose granola, Butterfinger bites, and M&Ms. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much. How good could frozen yogurt be from a place I had never even heard of? But to my surprise, this was a decent snack. Now, it may just have been my excellent selection of yogurt and toppings, but the cool, tangy yogurt mixed with the crunchy and sweet toppings definitely got my taste buds going. Bite after bite I ate up my afternoon snack with satisfaction. I happily found a snack at college that is not only a respectable “hold me over,” but also one that can be paid for with Dooley Dollars!
