The DQ

Since I was on the 1955 Original Penguin wavelength yesterday, allow me to reach back a little further into nostalgia-land, back to 1938 -- the year Dairy Queen was born.

10 cents...that's all it cost in 1938 for the new frozen dairy treat. The stuff was so good that by 1955 the DQ had expanded to 2600 stores nation-wide.



Back in the day, a Peanut Buster Parfait was about the best thing I could imagine for dessert. Calories? What calories? When you're 10 years old, calories have about the same significance to you as the price of tea in China.

So anyway, after a kick-arse dinner at the China Rose restaurant in Rhinecliff, NY two weeks ago, someone suggested we skip dessert and head to the DQ. The age range of our group was 3 to 64, and let me tell you, the DQ gave every person a smile.

I was able to escape work a bit early last night, so I thought I'd try to recreate the magic a little by taking M1 and M2 to the local DQ here in NJ. Since the DQ I know is 11 miles away, I went on-line to find a closer one. I found one 6 miles away, but I wasn't familiar with the area. What the hell, let's try to find I thought. Okay, so we got lost 2 or 3 times. Wife was driving, and she wasn't happy with my idea of exploring new grounds.

When we got there M1 and M2 said they wanted chocolate cones. Easy enough. My mother in law wanted a small hot fudge sundae. Easy enough. Me and the wife declined.So we get the goods. See if you can follow this: M1 ignores her cone and starts eating my MIL's sundae. M2 gets jealous and starts eating it too. M2 hands me his cone and says he doesn't want anymore. So the kids steal the sundae and start fighting over who gets more hot fudge. M2 starts screaming. So I go back and get him his own sundae. But the DQ guy puts whipped cream on it and when I get back to the table wifey tells me that M2 doesn't like whipped cream. So I start to scoop the whipped cream onto M1's sundae. M2 doesn't like this. After diffusing that one, both kids had their own sundae, and MIL was stuck with a chocolate cone she didn't want. After 4 spoonfuls, M2 says, Daddy I don't want anymore. M2 starts flicking ice cream off the spoon onto me. Ok, time to go. No good deed goes unpunished.

If you're reading this and considering the Peanut Buster Parfait tonight, consider this: The PBF is nutritionally packed with 700 calories, 16g of fat, 94g of carbs, and 72g of sugar. Mmmmm, peanut buster.