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| Soda Jerk Passes Ice Cream Between Two Soda Fountains, 19 Dec 1936. Alan Fisher, photographer |
Welcome to the supplemental post for Episode 28 all about soda fountains during WWII! I talked all about the obsession Americans had with ice cream and how that turned into pains for running a soda fountain in wartime. For the recipes, I tried some patriotic ice cream sundae concoctions which were all so delicious!
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| Two women at a drug store enjoying ice cream sodas, 1940. |
Go to this Atlas Obscura article HERE to see what I believe is the original photo inspiration behind the piece of art in the following Coke ad!
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| From the National Geographic Magazine, February 1944 |
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| From Collier’s Magazine, 12 May 1945 |
I love this image from a Dixie cup ad emphasizing the importance of hygiene and reducing germs in places like soda fountains by using disposable cups. They talk about how this was especially important in towns located near military bases to keep sickness of troops to a minimum.
I was able to source a couple original wartime-era soda fountain menus. I love seeing the crossed-out prices and references to the war. See if you can spot them!
And then I tried several varieties of patriotic ice cream sundaes. Here are the various directions for making them and images of the ones I actually tried!
Miscellaneous - sundaes with possible wartime ties
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| Dixie Cup ad Life Magazine, 28 July 1941 |
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The Cookbook Feature: Soda Fountain and Luncheonette Management by J. O. Dahl, 1945.
Black-Out Sundae
1) Sealtest version 1: Double mound of Sealtest Butter Scotch Royale ice cream, "blacked out" under thick fudge topping, smothered with shredded coconut.
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| One of Sealtest's versions of "Black-Out Sundae" |
2) Sealtest version 2: Vanilla ice cream, a few generous dashes of chocolate syrup, a sprinkling of crunchy peanuts, and a topping of whipped cream.
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| Another delicious Sealtest version of "Black-Out Sundae" |
3) Frechtling's Sealtest version: Vanilla ice cream covered with a generous portion of chocolate syrup, marshmallow topping, and whole peanuts.
4) Sminole-Maid version: Vanilla ice cream "blacked-out" under thick fudge topping.
5) Hinze's Black-Out Sundae: Chocolate ice cream entirely "blacked-out" under a taste-tempting fudge topping, topped with fresh pecans.
General Douglas MacArthur Sundae
1) Vanilla ice cream, blueberry and strawberry sauce, toasted coconut, and whipped cream, and a small American flag
2) 2 scoops vanilla ice cream, a scoop of strawberry ice cream, topped with blueberry, fresh strawberry, crushed pineapple, smothered in whipped cream, fresh roasted pecans, nabiscoes, and a whole sweet cherry.
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| I combined the two versions of the MacArthur Sundae to make this glorious creation! (note the 48-star toothpick flag I made myself!) |
"Hitler"/"Dead Hitler" Sundae
The only description I could find was that is was "half nuts"... Get it? lol
I made my version with repeating layers of hot fudge, peanuts and ice cream all the way up the glass. It literally was half nuts by the end! As I mention in the podcast, this satirical sundae is a good example of the 1940s sense of humor and how they dealt with political stress of the time. The name still makes me uncomfortable, even understanding this, and I just wanted to be clear about that!
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| Hitler Sundae A horrible name for a delicious sundae |
1) Hawaiian Sundae - 2 dips strawberry ice cream, fresh crushed strawberries, bananas, topped with whipped cream and a charm doll (or ice cream served with fresh wedges of pineapple)
2) Russian Mint Sundae (no description could be found for what was in it)
As a bonus, I made this Root Beer Milk creation with 2% milk and root beer syrup. I just added root beer syrup to taste. It was quite delicious and could serve as a nice replacement for chocolate milk in a pinch!
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| Root Beer Milk |
RESOURCES
Websites:
Rationing in WWII: How Some Restaurants Survived
The Chop Suey Sundae Isn’t What You Think It Is
Tales from the Life of a Bronx Soda Jerk
Sugar Allies: How Hershey and Coca-Cola Used Government Contracts and Sugar Exceptions to Elude Sugar Rationing Regulations
U.S. Food Trends Analyzed: Peanuts, Dried Milk,& Ice Cream (check out the section on WWII)
The Secret History of Food: How Ice Cream Became the Ultimate American Comfort Food
Why the U.S. Navy Once Had a Concrete Ice Cream Barge
Images:
Washington, D.C. Girl sitting alone in the Sea Grill, a bar and restaurant waiting for a pickup. "I come in here pretty often, sometimes alone, mostly with another girl, we drink beer, and talk, and of course we keep our eyes open--you'd be surprised at how often nice, lonesome soldiers ask Sue, the waitress, to introduce them to us" April 1943.
Soda Jerk Passes Ice Cream Between Two Soda Fountains, 19 Dec 1936. Alan Fisher, photographer
Books/Magazines:
Historical Studies of Wartime Problems
Wartime Dealer-Aid Programs: Manufacturers’ Programs to Maintain Retail Outlets, Charles H. Sevin. U.S. Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce. January 1944.
or
The Carolina Journal of Pharmacy, published by the North Carolina Pharmaceutical Association, 1943.
Counter Freezer News, October 1944.
Life Magazine, 16 Aug 1943
Life Magazine, 28 July 1941
Life Magazine, 20 Nov 1944
National Geographic Magazine, February 1944
Collier’s Magazine, 12 May 1945
