In the early '50s when I was about 10 years old, my favorite snack especially during those dog days of Asingan summer is Rodriguez Ice Cream on a cone. I remember there were always3 flavours, so the ice cream cart has 3 small containers inside its ice-and-husk filled body ( to conserve the cold I guess ) capped by 3 aluminum lids. Two vendors employed by the Rodriguez family ( who seemed to have cornered the grocery market in Asingan then and now ) would bring one cart each in all barrios of Asingan. There is a small bell that announces the proximity of the ice cream cart and kids would be huddling in front of certain houses clasping their precious five centavo coins anticipating the flavour filled of ice cream melting in their blessed little tongues. Except for that day.
As soon as I heard the bell rang and we knew that the cart is already in front of Monyang's store ( the big Chinese store on the road to Macalong) I, some cousins and friends rushed out and took our places on the roadside so the ice cream cart wouldn't pass us by. He was the guy with a hat, dark skinned. If you examined his face, you can not tell whether he is smiling or frowning. And he does not wear any shoes or slippers. He is the barefooted ice cream man. The other ice cream guy looked like a Chinese mestizo with droopy eyes and a mouth which was open all the time.
Anyways, our ice cream man stopped on the road. But he did not open the ice cream tanks yet. Instead he crossed the road and all eyes were following him. Why did the ice cream man crossed the road?
Then we knew why. He went to a big acacia tree on the opposite side of the road, undid his pant buttons, then he relieved himself. Even if his back was towards us, we saw the slender arc streaming down into the tree trunk. Finished, he buttoned his pants, wiped his hands briefly on his shirt and proceeded back to his cart.Then he took a cone from under the cart and asked us: "What flavour do you like today?" "I like vanilla," said a five year-old-kid. My cousins and I looked at each other. Then I said:"I think I am skipping the ice cream today. I feel like I have a cold coming on." So we all walked hastily away leaving the 5-year-old kid who was waiting for his vanilla ice cream on a cone..#
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