Ice drop, anyone?

ICE D-ROP…. Ice d-roooooop!

This is the sound I always hear in my early childhood days during summer vacations in Cagayan de Oro City and Mambajao, Camiguin. And it was a welcome respite to the heat and humidity of the summer at any time of the day!

It can be a young boy, girl or an adult screaming at the top of their lungs and carrying a “styro” container full of those delicious thirst-quenching ice drop that is covered with layers of plastic on top to ensure that it does not melt fast before they are sold. The better brands will have their names on the paper or plastic wrappers, while the generic ones will just be in plain wrappers.

Recall also how we use to appreciate and savor this. I know I have my ways of making them last indefinitely when everyone else’s ice drop is gone. I can also reminisce the way we used to let the ice drop “stick” in our tongue till it hurts when we try to remove them forcefully! Those were those happy and carefree days! But I know, I still do that at times. What about you?

Those were the times when they were sold only for a few centavos. Then it went up to a peso and now, commercial brands can cost up to almost a hundred for those “rich, creamy and exotic” flavors.

I remember I was always told to be “good” so I can have my cold treat. What a simple life we have back then. Simple pleasures, simple needs. Life was so uncomplicated then.

Chances are, we can still have them being peddled around but their numbers are decreasing. Maybe due to stiff competition from well-known and well-recognized brands or maybe the demand is dwindling. But I am pretty sure, they are still all alive and well in the more suburban areas.

I know I can still see a few being sold but apparently, the city is too big to be walking around, so I have noticed some peddlers using a bicycle, which is a very innovative idea. The more they sell, the more money at the end of the day. Correct?

These little delightful frozen sweets come in a variety of flavors. Depending on the availability of our produce, fresh fruits like mango, langka, melon, buko, pineapple and banana always top my list. There are also other flavors that I enjoy like corn, chocolate and ube.

Most often, we would see more commercially prepared ice drop sold in stores and supermarkets. And it costs a lot more than what we used to spend. Better and more flavors, more hygienic in terms of preparation, more appealing, nice and colorful packaging. And not to forget, they come in “sugar-free” forms which we never heard of before!

Children and adult loves this. So, it would be a great idea to have these little desserts on special occasions and celebrations. Instead of ice cream, maybe this treats can be more practical. Less mess, less preparation and less cups to wash, agree?

Ice d-rop! Ice d-roooop! I can still hear the echoes in my mind. I still miss those times when we spend endless hours enjoying our innocent childhood years with our friends and family with barely nothing to think of.

Life is good. Enjoy. Savor. Be blessed!

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