Sound trucks and ice cream vans

[bill937ca]

Dicky Dee was a Canadian operator of ice cream bikes and some trucks.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dickie_Dee

 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/dickie-dee-men-still-pedalling-bikes-ringing-bells-selling-treats-1.3175873

http://www.vitalinkevents.com/about-us/

 

I worked at a Toronto depot for a while in the 1990s. Those bikes were heavy when fully loaded.

[cteno4]

Ice cream Trucks were more of a suburban thing here in the states as they would go every few blocks playing their jingle to get all the kids out, stop for 10min to sell that crowd out then repeat on around the neighborhoods. The would also stop by the parks kids played in a lot a few times a day on their circuit. In cities it was usually just the carts and they might move around or just find a good corner. When I was a kid one of the big parks I use to play at we knew the half dozen spots the ice cream car would go and sort of his schedule so we could always zip to him when we wanted. It was one of those Pavlovian things, as soon as one kid mentioned it everyone started salivating and we were off to track him down, no bells or tunes needed, just kids’ imaginations of rocket bars!

 

jeff

[bill937ca]

These trucks were not popular in many communities. The ringing bells would cause kids to become excited and take off without caution.  Ice cream trucks were banned in many communities after several fatal accidents.

[pbunter]

I've seen many ice cream trucks growing up and living in California. However, the best truck from my youth (mid 1960's) was a bakery truck with fresh baked bread and donuts. 

[cteno4]

I grew up 300 yards from a kilpatricks bakery in Oakland California. When no wind or wind from the bakery was either bread or cakes (they make those zinger cakes). Unfortunately also only about 150 yards away was the “peach pit” where all the del monte cannery waste peach scrap (and some other fruit at times) was ground up into a slurry and left to ferment in a huge pit 125’ square and 20’ deep until filled. Then pumped into a barge and dumped into San Francisco Bay. So smell could alternate with a sweet rotten fruit smell to slightly alcohol/brandy smell along with the bakery smells. Very funky place on the waterfront.

 

Bad thing was the bakery factory had a day old store so zingers were like 25 cents a pack. I never could understand why day old zingers were bad as they probably lasted a few months packaged! But maybe just the dented ones... but many quarters were lost there.

 

 

jeff

[Khaul]

Thanks for putting this amusing discussion in a separate thread.

 

There are ice cream trucks in Sydney, but you don't find them everywhere. They are uncommon in the Victorian terrace house Inner City suburbs or in the City itself because, well, there are plenty of very nice gelaterie, big and small supermarkets and corner shops. You may find them in Centennial park which is our version of the huge, well-kept London city park. The further you go from the city the more common they become. They are usually old, battered Ford Transits painted cream and purple. The last time I bought from one of them was outside of the model rail venue where I met @Das Steinkopf. The kids got one ice cream each. They had one or two flavours but lots of choice for the toppings common in the UK. And they are very expensive especially when compared to the high quality stuff from gelaterie. 

 

A couple of years ago there was a bit of a fashion about funky food trucks. I think that came from Los Angeles. They were found to be not so good value for the people who can afford them and too pricey for the people who would like their fare. So they have mostly disappeared.

 

Food and ice cream are excellent in Australia, at least in the inner city areas. But see, the true religion here is coffee. Apart from some Italian cafes in Melbourne, Australians used to drink instant coffee until some guy read a book about coffee making written by an American who spent time looking at baristas in Italy, run his own experiments and put down everything in writing. For some reason fancy coffee took over in Australia and now we have what in America is called a 3rd wave coffee shop in every corner! There are some coffee trucks and coffee carts equipped with espresso machines. Starbucks used to run more than a 100 cafes here, but most of them closed down because they could not compete with the myriad of small places and boutique roasters. 

Edited September 20, 2018 by Khaul

[gavino200]

33 minutes ago, Khaul said:

and now we have what in America is called a 3rd way coffee shop in every corner!

 

Excellent and interesting post. But I wonder how American this term is. I've never heard it. 

[Khaul]

Oh, sorry, I meant to write "Third wave coffee shop", https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_wave_of_coffee 

[maihama eki]

We had one in small town Montana in the 70s.  I think ours was formerly a milk delivery truck.  We nicknamed it "The Yummy Wagon".

 

It's mandatory that they play some horribly distorted kid-calling tune through one of those small outdoor horn speakers mounted on top.

[cteno4]

Ahhh peets, the mother’s milk of graduate school for me in the 80s! Their cup of coffe makes Starbucks expresso taste like mcDs coffee. There would be a line at 5:30 in the morning of zombies waiting for their morning jolt.

 

jeff

[gavino200]

11 hours ago, Khaul said:

Oh, sorry, I meant to write "Third wave coffee shop", https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_wave_of_coffee 

 

Thanks. I think I'm just not sophisticated enough to know these things.

[disturbman]

Never saw one in France either. I have seen a couple – or at least one – in Berlin outside of parks and playgrounds. They are pretty rare and do not attract many customers. There are plenty of good brick and mortar ice cream shops around town. One is never too far away.

[Welshbloke]

Related to the food factory smells, there's a roundabout between me and Cardiff which sometimes smells of garlic. A factory on the neighbouring industrial estate is responsible, and also occasionally emits a scent of tomato sauce into the DIY store car park nearby!

[cteno4]

Also grew up near Gilroy CAlifornia where they clean to be the garlic capital of the world for all the garlic they grow (they even have a garlic festival with all things garlic including garlic wine...). Driving by on the highway at times can be pungent! In college the hunts tomato packing plant was just across the rr tracks from my apartment (frequent late nights taking with the rr guys as they switched out cars) and it was that total tomatoe sauce smell if the wind was right. Luckily the prevailing winds were away from us most of the time.

 

jeff

[marknewton]

On 9/20/2018 at 5:09 AM, gavino200 said:

 

UK, Ireland, America, (Canada?). I think it's an Anglosphere thing. I'm curious if they have them in Australia and NZ?

 

Yes to both. The most common/best known ice cream vans operating when I was a kid were "Mr Whippy". When they were cruising the streets they played a tinny, music box version of "Greensleeves".

 

Vans these days are run by independent operators, but I believe the Mr Whippy brand is being revived and looking for new franchisees. 

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

Edited October 2, 2018 by marknewton