You probably know of a house or two in your neighborhood that comes into its own on Halloween. It’s the kind of house that looks a little Addams-y, or at least is well-designed to accommodate cool Halloween decorations. I noticed such a house on Highway 49 in Placerville this morning.
Sort of like House of Seven Gables, on a hill with a mournful ghost and a graveyard.
The ghost, I assume, is a temporary addition for Halloween. But what about those lions?
What’s missing from the house is a pumpkin. Perhaps a jack o’lantern will appear on Halloween, but a little orange would complete the look, I think.
And that’s my awkward way of introducing today’s Treat of the Day. Recall our conversation last week about Thrifty Ice Cream. Well, today I had the opportunity to get a scoop of said dessert at Rite Aid.
I scanned their (limited) selection of flavors, and found this “limited edition” seasonal offering:
Would it be as good as the Thrifty ice cream of my childhood? Let’s find out!
Conceptual Soundness: Let’s color some ice cream pumpkin-orange and call it “pumpkin spice.” That’s pretty much the whole concept. It seems half-hearted and derivative. Couldn’t they come up with a better name that made it seem unique or playful? Like “Let’s Give ‘Em Pumpkin to Talk About.” Or “Oh My Gourd!” They could also give it a bit more of a twist by adding something interesting, like candy pieces or rum or something. As a concept, this feels pretty flat. 1.5 points.
Appearance of the Treat: There’s a reason Thrifty ice cream is so inexpensive. They don’t put much effort or expense into appearance. The paper cup looks like it hasn’t been redesigned since 1985. Each scoop of ice cream is shaped like small can of chopped olives, with hole stabbed into the top c/o the clunky (but efficient) ice cream scoop that Thrifty has been using for decades The color is severely monochromatic and not even the right color. In a word, it’s boring. 1 point.
Taste: OK, this is absolutely delicious. It’s rich and creamy and sweet without being too sweet. I don’t really taste the much-touted “spice,” but that’s OK . This ice cream is so tasty, and the mouthfeel is so satisfying, that I am overlooking the misleading “pumpkin spice” promise. I had two full scoops and was left wanting more. You just can’t tire of this ice cream! 4 points.
Value: A cup was $2.50, which is half the price of B-R and other major ice creams. An easy 4 points.
Total Treat Score: 10.5 points/16 points.
Get a scoop and take it home to your haunted house!
BTW, the full quote referenced in the headline is: “The thrifty maxim of the wary Dutch/is to save all the Money they can touch.”
Today we made one more foray into Salem’s witch-infested past, this time at the Salem Witch Museum.The museum is housed in a Gothic Revival church originally constructed in the 1840s. The church closed in 1902, and after being used for a few other purposes (including an auto museum), it was transformed into the Witch Museum in 1972.
Paging Maleficent, party of one — Your table is ready
It’s an impressive structure, and the multimedia presentation of the Salem witch trials was entertaining. Still, Vic and I realized that by now we knew Salem’s witch story pretty well, so we didn’t learn much that was new. What’s more, the museum’s message is overly tendentious, hammering on the point, over and over, that our society still engages in forms of witch hunts. (I seem to remember a recent president making this claim…)
After the museum, we took the rental car on a leisurely trip along the Essex Coastal Scenic Byway. It was a breathtaking drive, with sweeping views of the Atlantic from Massachusetts’ north coast. The towns along the way are idyllic, and the homes are right out of the pages of Better Homes and Gardens. The weather was perfect, with temperatures in the mid-70s and a slight breeze.
Being a native Californian, I don’t know much at all about the eastern seaboard. I did, however, recognize the Gorton’s Seafood fisherman in Gloucester. Gorton’s was founded in Gloucester in 1849, but their iconic fisherman didn’t appear in advertising until 1975.
“Churning out soggy, breaded chunks of cod for over 150 years”
We also passed a bronze statue of a mariner at the wheel that looked suspiciously like the Gorton’s fisherman. The statue is part of a memorial to sailors lost at sea since 1716, with an array of plaques listing their names. The memorial statute was installed in 1925, so clearly it was Gorton’s (with their 1975 character) that copied the memorial, and not the other way around.
:…Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.”
Upon returning to Salem, we continued with our witch-free diversions with a visit to The House of the Seven Gables. This, of course, is the mansion that Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote of in his 1851 novel of the same name. The house was originally constructed in 1668, and by the time Hawthorne visited it in the mid-19th century, it had been remodeled so that it only had only three gables. Hawthorne thought the idea of a house of seven gables sounded more interesting than “the house of the three gables,” so he envisioned its original form when he wrote his book.
“Halfway down a by-street of one of our New England towns stands a rusty wooden house, with seven acutely peaked gables, facing towards various points of the compass, and a huge, clustered chimney in the midst.”“A man will commit almost any wrong … to build a great, gloomy, dark-chambered mansion, for himself to die in.“
By the way, our Seven Gables diversion was not entirely witch-free. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s great-great-grandfather was John Hathorne (no “W”), who was a key, influential judges in the Salem witch trials. Nathaniel changed his last name from Hathorne to Hawthorne, in part to disassociate himself from his ancestor.
One final Hawthorne reference from today: The sight of this sign reminded me of Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. Doesn’t it evoke a ledger of one’s offenses and wrongdoings?
What have you got to say for yourself?
And finally, speaking of signs, this local liquor store certainly sports a colorful moniker.
On second thought, I think I’ll pass.
The place was a funeral home in the early 20th century, and during Prohibition the owner surreptitiously served liquor out of the basement. Such establishments at that time were sometimes called “bungholes” (a term related to wine barrels). After the 21st amendment was passed in 1933, the owner converted the funeral parlor to a full-scale liquor store. The nickname became the official name, providing endless amusement for visitors. (There’s also a line of tasteless merch.)
And so ends our third day in Salem. Tomorrow morning we’re off to historic “Salem Village,” aka Danvers.
BREW OF THE DAY
We found a local brewpub called East Regiment Beer Company. Established in 2014, it resides in what used to be Salem’s first fire station.The name references colonial Massachusetts’ militia, which is claimed to be the origin of the National Guard. This is a small (three-barrel) brewery, with a handful of their own beers on tap at any given time. I selected the BAF Porter.
Puritans, witches and militias, all in one logo!
This is a mahogany-colored brew with just the slightest hint of lacy foam at the top. On the first sip, you’re greeted with roasty and nutty flavor that washes over your tongue. You notice a mild carbonation, which is just enough to keep things interesting. It’s not a thick or heavy beer — but it’s not watery either. It strikes that ideal viscosity that a porter should have.
The finish is slightly bitter, as you’d expect from a lightly hopped beer. Overall, I’d have to say the beer is balanced. But after a few sips, it becomes clear that this beer lacks complexity. There is no play of flavors, no grace notes. Just a big glass of roasty sameness, sip after sip after sip. By the time you’re drinking the second half, you’re tired of it. Let’s give it 3.5 stars.
PS: As I was settling our account, the barkeep (Mike) pointed out a beer on tap that shares my name. “Steve’s Quality Saison” is a paean to the local “Steve’s Quality Market,” and the tap handle even has the same neon script as the signage on the store (which happens to be across the street from our hotel.) I wish I’d been aware of it when I ordered my porter!
When was the last time you saw a neon-lighted tap handle?Presumably beats Ralph’s Pretty Good Grocery in Lake Wobegon.
Chasing Phantoms 