The Egg Cream

I was recently reminiscing about my childhood growing up in Brooklyn during the 1940s and 1950s. I remembered going to the corner candy store and sitting at the counter ordering a Lime Rickey, cherry coke or ice cream sundae. There were times, I recall dipping a long pretzel in my vanilla malted. Other times, I ordered a milkshake, a lighter version of the malted. If I only had a few pennies in my pocket, I would ask for a two-cent plain, which was plain seltzer water, just so I could sit at the counter to watch the owner serve these delicious delicacies to his customers. It was a great way to cool off during those hot summer days.

But, the best drink I remember was a drink my father made in our kitchen. It’s called a “chocolate egg cream.” It took only three ingredients to make this delicious drink. But my father had a knack to create a perfectly-made egg cream.

We had bottles of milk delivered by our milkman, and the other two ingredients were delivered weekly by our seltzer man named, “Mr. Petker.” He and his son Larry would carry cases of this siphon-bubbling water up three flights of steps along with a bottle of Fox’s U-Bet chocolate syrup. This is all we needed to keep our thirst quenched during those hot summer days.

Some people think this drink was made from eggs along with heavy cream, but none of these items were used in making an egg cream. I think the reason it got its name was because many old Jewish people called this drink “echo keen,” which translates to “pure sweetness” in Yiddish.

I remember my Dad making this drink for our family of five boys. He’d stir vigorously with a long spoon (this will cause it to become white and bubbly with a good head of foam). Holding the glass on a small angle, he would gently pour two tablespoons of chocolate syrup slowly down the inside of the glass, the last step stirring it briskly with a long spoon only at the bottom of the glass where the chocolate sits. While stirring, you would notice bubbles tower two inches above the rim of the glass with the foam overflowing. The resulting drink should have a dark brown bottom and a one-inch high pure white foam top (if you mix it too much, the foam disappears).

He would tell us to drink it right away. “If you let it stand (five minutes or more), it will go flat.” He never told us his technique or how much to measure, but I don’t think he knew himself.

Yes, at 80 years old, I miss that corner candy store, but most of all, I miss that delicious taste of that egg cream. It was a drink I’ll always remember from my childhood days growing up in Brooklyn. Thank you Dad for making this terrific drink that I’ll never forget.

The Charlotte Russe

Sometimes when I reminisce I think of a special treat
While passing the bakery window strolling down the street
Holding my mom’s hand after helping her with a chore
I knew my reward would be a Charlotte Russe as we were entering the store
They were lined up in showcase
and mom asked me to make a choice
I’ll never forget my mom’s smile
especially her lovely voice
She handed me the cardboard cup taken from the case
I ate the cherry first, then while licking the
whipped cream, it went all over my face
My mom would wipe it clean and smile
For she knew there was no mistake
That when I finished pushing up the bottom
I would offer her the remaining cake
I miss that delicacy I had when I was a child
But more than that, I miss when my mom smiled
I remember those glorious days and the
times we shared,
It brings tears to my eyes for I knew
she was the best mother, the one who really cared.