Edgar V.
Yelp
"The heart wants what the heart wants" is a common phrase for explaining away a non-logical course of action. In my particular case, my heart wanted some ice cream on a chilly sunny January Sunday afternoon after a full day of chores, including detailing the car*.
After scrolling through dozens of Yelp listings, I settled on this place, which is actually the factory where they make paletas (popsicles in English) that end up being sold by roving bicycle pushcarts. Sure, I could have gone to the local ice cream shop but where's the fun in going to a sterile Baskin-Robbins, a corporate earthy-crunchy Ben & Jerry's, or even to a suburban blandsville Marble Slab?
Plus, I wanted something simple. The website showed that the retail shop had about 25 different flavors. Some traditional and some were more culturally distinctive but here's a sampling: vanilla, mango, mango con chile, coconut, pecan, chamoy, guayaba, lemon, lemon con chile, pina colada, pineapple, melon, yogurt, tamarindo, and tamarindo con chile. So, there's something for your white-bread friends as well as your more diverse palates.
The factory is located deep in the Magnolia Park neighborhood: it is nearly at the end of Canal, where it runs into the Ship Channel. There's nothing dangerous about the area other than it may offend your River Oaks friends for having the gall to be less wealthy. There are 3 stone picnic tables outside if you wanted to enjoy your paleta after purchase. When I walked in, there were signs that offered pricing for up to 11 paletas, a discounted price if you bought more than a dozen, and even more discount if you bought larger quantities.
I'm a glutton for ice cream and love a good bargain but I was able to restrain myself to buying only 2 paletas (more because my waistline couldn't afford more calories) - I chose the coconut and the pecan. Each costs $1, tax inclusive. The young man at the counter confirmed for me that they get more visitors in the warmer months but all are welcome anytime. They're open from 8 to 5 every day. Sitting outside at one of the tables, I enjoyed the pecan since it was loaded with nuts - think of butter pecan flavor but in popsicle form. The coconut was refreshingly simple and tropical.
So, if your heart is looking for something simply satisfying with a bit of adventure, take a little trip to this hidden nook and enjoy the experience. I'm going to go rogue next time and have a flavor "con chile" next time.
* I'll admit that the vinyl protectant for the car smells a bit like coconut. That may have triggered a subliminal response in me for that coconut paleta. I'm just glad the car product didn't smell like stinky feet - otherwise, I'd be afraid of what I would have craved.