Back When Shakes Were Shaken

Day 165: Blenders and food processors may have been invented before I was a kid, but they certainly weren't a household item. When you wanted to make a milkshake, you put the ice cream in a shaker cup, added flavouring and milk, and if you wanted a malt, you threw in a couple of tablespoons of powdered malted milk, in those days readily available at the grocery store. The shaker cup had three parts: the cup itself, a dome cap with a perforated top, and a second smaller lid to cap off the holes. Once you had the ingredients in the cup, you put on the two lids and started shaking. You had to remember to keep a finger on the smaller lid because it was prone to fly off otherwise, and my dad was notorious for forgetting. It was highly amusing to a small Crow to watch him give the cup a couple of shakes, only to have the lid fly off, spreading milk and ice cream all around the kitchen. My mom would even laugh at the surprised look on his face!

Today, I got down the old shaker, filled it with vanilla ice cream, milk, caramel syrup and a healthy helping of the powdered malt a local burger joint owner graciously orders for me once a year or so. I had forgotten how the aluminum iced up on the exterior during the shaking process, but unlike my dad, I didn't forget to hold the small lid with my finger. No restaurant can top a home-made malted milk shake!