Desserts (that's with two S's because you want more of it!)

Like many people, I love the establishments around where I grew up. The diners, delis, movie theaters and malls all provided great memories from my youth that I still remember today. One of those establishments was Friendly's. Whether it was after a St. Anne's Christmas Concert or a Chaminade dance, Friendly's was a place where we would usually end up between the ages of 11 and 14--not old enough to do something cool (well I wasn't anyway) but too old to want to be at home. While it may not be considered 5 star cuisine, Friendly's always hit the spot, especially their desserts. The Reese's Pieces and Peanut Butter Cup sundaes were always a must during any Friendly's visit. However, the one dessert I always remember seeing but not getting was the Wattamelon Roll. For those not familiar with the Wattamelon Roll, it is basically lemon and watermelon sherbet shaped like a piece of watermelon with chocolate chips acting as seeds. See picture below.



Although I like sherbet, I was never interested in having the Wattamelon Roll but, like many things in my life, that all changed when I met Kate.

When talking about Friendly's one day, Kate began extolling the virtues of the Wattamelon Roll. The only problem was that there were no groceries that sold them around Kate's place in Woodside. One Sunday, we were on our way back to Kate's when we realized that we could pick one up in Stewart Manor and bring it back to Queens. Although it was a muggy June night, we were both confident that we could make it back without any serious melting. We were wrong.. Once we hit traffic on the LIE we went into crisis mode. We jacked up the AC and Kate held the Roll next to the vent. but it didn't do much to help. Traffic eventually broke up and while we didn't have Wattamelon soup in the car, our dessert was just about ruined.

Here we are in 2010, again living in Queens without a Wattamelon Roll to be found. When we came back from Ireland last week, we crashed at my parents house then drove home the next morning. We stopped to pick up groceries at Key Food and there she was in the Frozen Foods aisle. A cool, refreshing Friendly's Wattamelon Roll--and on sale no less! We were both a little bit hesitant about trying the drive again (this time in sweltering July heat) but we both believed it could be done. We got the Roll out of the freezer (last stop on while shopping to maximize "frozen-ness") and just to be safe we did what any rational, dessert loving couple would do: we bought a Hot/Cold bag and threw it right in. I'm happy to report that the roll made it home safely and was enjoyed by the aforementioned rational, dessert loving couple.

I've always loved memories. I'm still amazed by how the sight of a house or the smell of food can bring me back to a place from my past. Things like Wattamelon Roll are what I love about life. Ok, maybe not literally, but I do love what that simple dessert represents: great memories from my youth and new memories with my wife.