Pick One and Eat: Labelled Ice Cream or Dirty Ice Cream?

Last week, during a hot afternoon, I ate at the University of the Philippines Cebu College canteen with my friends. The college canteen is not our usual choice since we prefer to eat outside of school, at the carenderias (stores or stands selling food including viands, rice and drinks). I ate something really spicy and though I enjoyed the fiery flavor of it in my tongue – since I really love spicy food – I was aching for something to cool off the hot taste. 

“Ice cream ta na!” my friend, Diane Diez, said. 

It was like I was electrocuted because I instantly jerked up, bolting to my feet and exclaimed, “Bitaw! Ice cream!” 

The mention of the cold, delectable delight sent me running towards the freezer that housed cups, packs and sticks of ice cream. I immediately bought one Selecta Cookies and Cream ice cream on stick worth P11.00, knowing that my friend was also buying one. 

Returning back to my seat, I instantly licked and bit my ice cream, savoring its cool feel and tasting the tidbits of cookies in it. The ice cream brought a feeling of bliss within me. Not only did it neutralized the fiery taste in my mouth but it also gave me a reprieve from the hot afternoon. 

What is an ice cream? Well, well, well. For those who are not from Earth and thus, are ignorant about what an ice cream is, here's the answer: basically, ice cream or iced cream which also goes by the name of sorbet and gelato, is a frozen dessert made from fruits or other ingredients like coffee beans, cookies, and peanuts and dairy products such as milk and cream. Sugar or in some cases, sweetener is also added to the concotion and natural ingredients are either replaced or added with artificial flavourings and colourings. This mixture is then blended and churned while cooled in order to produce a smooth-textured dessert.

Now, it is no suprise why a lot of people consider ice cream as a heavenly blessing. I am just one of the billions of people in the world who cry at the sight of gallons and gallons of ice cream. 

During birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, New Year, among other occassions, we find ourselves devouring cups and cones of this delicious cold dessert may it be in chocolate, coffee, strawberry or vanilla flavor. It is truly an undeniable fact that ice cream is one of the most favorite sweet treats of not just the Filipinos but also of those outside the country. And since it is a crowd favorite, businessmen and local entrepreneurs here in the country produce ice cream and we can find their products lurking around the corner or in stores. 

In stores, we see freezers of ice cream sold for customers craving for it. Usually, those sold in the stores are branded or labelled ice cream that was manufactured and produced by big companies in the country. Then, when we pass by or walk down the streets, we will find men with ice cream tubs on wheels. This is what you call dirty ice cream.

So, what are commercially labelled ice cream? Also, what is this ice cream called dirty ice cream?

To start, the commercially labelled ice cream are those made by big manufacturing companies. Some of the most popular ice cream brands here in the Philippines include Selecta, Magnolia, and Nestle. They are known to mass-produce different ice cream products and advertisements usually feature their delectable goods. To add, the process by which their ice cream is made is through enormous ice cream-making machines appropriate for mass production. The monetary value, however, of their products is inconsistent and various. The price depends on the packaging of the ice cream. Case in point, for those ice creams on stick, Selecta sells it at a suggested retail price of P10.00. Meanwhile, the 465ml Selecta Gold costs P105.00 and the 800ml sells at P160.00. 

from Norman Agatep's blog (http://themanwhotriedeverything.blogspot.com/2009/04/selecta-gold-series.html)

The people who usually buy commercially labelled ice cream are those celebrating an occasion. It is like a tradition already to have an ice cream on the table during festivities and joyful events. Ice cream is like a symbol for momentous happenings.

On the other hand, dirty ice cream is often called the ice cream of the masses because of its appearance and affordability. Usually sold at the streets here in the Philippines, dirty ice cream is placed in a cylindrical, deep tubular stainless container propped up on a trolley. Dirty ice cream, unlike what its name is insinuating, is not truly dirty and germ-infested. This kind of ice cream probably got its name because of a lot of factors. First being the way it is presented. Dirty ice cream is not packaged elegantly the way commercially labelled ice cream are. It is being sold and peddled openly in the streets. Second factor is the appearance of the ice cream. Compared to the smooth-textured labelled ice cream made in the factories, dirty ice cream are rough in texture and uneven in appearance. Third reason is the fact that the vendor of this dirty ice cream made it with his own hands. Some of the vendors don't have an ice cream maker so they have to settle with blending the ice cream mixture themselves and cooling it. The impression that this kind of ice cream might be dirty stems from the possibility that the vendors may not be hygienic and clean while they were making the ice cream.

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In terms of value, dirty ice cream is very affordable. That is why it is called the ice cream of the masses. A small cup of dirty ice cream costs P5.00 while a larger one costs P10.00. Those who usually buy dirty ice cream are those passing by the streets. Usually, it's not a plan for people to buy dirty ice cream. The thought just pops out when they see it. For example, when people go out from the church after attending a mass, they see a dirty ice cream vendor outside and think “Okay, it's hot. I think I want to eat ice cream today.” Also, those who couldn't afford the price of the commercially labelled ice cream prefer the affordability of dirty ice cream.

Now, at this juncture, the questions are: would you rather have a labelled ice cream or a dirty ice cream? Basically, what are the differences between the two of them? Which would be much more preferrable?

I have asked some people about their choices. Alsteine Joi Diapana, a fellow Psychology student responded, “Labelled... because mas daghan og flavors. Niya mas daghan og toppings. (Labelled... because there are more flavors. There's also more amount of toppings.)” Truly, some people would prefer the labelled ice cream because they come in more flavors. Selecta, for one, produces ice cream in coffee, chocolate, mango, jackfruit, cream flavors. There is variation and diversity when it comes to labelled ice cream. While dirty ice cream is limited to flavors like chocolate, ube, mocha and mango, the labelled ice cream comes in combination – cookies combined with cream, coffee with nuts, chocolate with marshmallows, etc.

“Very creamy!” Julia Absin had exclaimed, talking about the labelled ice cream. Palpably, in terms of quality, the labelled ice cream is so much better and delicious. The ice cream, with its ingredients, went through factory processing that ensures the taste, texture and appearance of the ice cream to be excellent. In contrast, compared to the big companies, the producer or maker of dirty ice cream is low-scaled in terms of ingredients used, processing and materials. The capital invested for making dirty ice cream is so much lower compared to the labelled ice cream and so it's predictable that the makers will have to be content with coming up with products that is incomparable with the factory-processed one. Yet, eventhough that is the case with the rough-textured dirty ice cream, the flavor and the goodness of the taste of it should not be ignored. Dirty ice cream has a unique flavor of its own that from time to time, will be preferred over the labelled ones. 

Blanche Marie Macoy chose dirty ice cream over the labelled ones because it's cheaper. As we can see, one point is given to dirty ice cream because it is obviously cheaper. But, others have argued that labelled ice cream is equally affordable since there's a P7.00 and P10.00 labelled ice cream which is on stick. 

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But, regarding availability, labelled ice creams are much more available and abundant compared to dirty ice cream. I just need to go to a bakery, a canteen or a department store and I can already find gallons of ice cream. This abundance in supply of ice cream is caused by a great demand. Since ice cream, as I have said earlier, is a crowd favorite then it's no wonder that companies have fulfilled the want of the people of this cold dessert by producing a lot. As for dirty ice cream, we need to go to a certain street or place to find the ice cream vendor selling it. This factor is one of the causes why a lot more of the labelled ice creams are sold and consumed by the people.

Yet, at the end of the day, as ice cream-lovers, we will find ourselves consuming both the labelled ones and dirty ice cream. At one point or another, we will be aching for the taste of the ice cream that is pedaled on the streets and sometimes, especially during occasions, we will be craving for the labelled ones. The presence of both labelled ice cream and dirty ice cream is good as it provides us with a variety and a divergence of choices.

So, I'm going to ask you. Pick one. Labelled ice cream or dirty ice cream? Which of the two will you prefer? Well, no matter what kind of ice cream it is, the bottom line is: you are eating one. It just proves how much we really like this delectable freezing dessert. If you're eating ice cream next time, share it with me, okay?