Orange Julius, Anyone?
It’s one thing to have a craving for something you shouldn’t have. Bad enough, for instance, when you’re trying to lose a few pounds and a craving for fetuccine Carbonara hits.* But that’s nothing next to having a craving for something you literally can’t have. I’ll never have my grandmother’s fried fish or potato pancakes again, for instance, but I have intense cravings for both at least once a month.
This comes to mind because tonight, from out of nowhere, I had a craving for an Orange Julius. I can’t figure out why; they had the same watered-down hint-of-fruit flavor that you get from, say, Gray’s Papaya. Not exactly the stuff of which nostalgia is made. But all of a sudden, I had to have an Orange Julius.
I Googled the name, and was shocked to find that the chain still exists. Here in Jersey, you couldn’t walk into a mall and not find an Orange Julius, until some time in the late ’80’s, when they disappeared as surely as the Marie Celeste. Turns out they were absorbed by Dairy Queen, and there’re still plenty of locations… just not in the America of Mall that is New Jersey.
Oh well. Now if Arthur Treacher’s would just bring back those tempura batter-dipped hot dogs…
*If Alfredo is a heart attack on a plate, then Carbonara is a cardiologist’s worst nightmare. To the aforementioned Alfredo, add sausage, bacon, ham, or any other Italian cured pork product you can think of; better still, add all of them, in combination. You’ll feel your blood turn to butter with every bite.
Tags: fast food, junk food, malls, Orange Julius
June 19th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
Next time you make a trip out here I’ll take you to the Orange Julius. I’d no idea they went out of business there. I preferred the Strawberry Julius, though.
Of course, at some point I replaced it with the Cinnabon and the MochaLatta Chill (which has to be the most embarrassing beverage name to say out loud). Nowadays, guilt prevents me from ordering them. They’re not nearly as healthy as an apple tart and mocha latte from Coffee Bean, which I have no problem ordering. (Probably because they really are healthier than the 1,200 calorie (!) 1-2 punch from Cinnabon.)
June 19th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
I still remember breaking the speed limit to get to Cinnabon at, what, 9:28 PM? That was back when I could eat a pint of Ben and Jerry’s at one sitting and not have to worry about… well, looking like I do now.
Is there an Orange Julius near a Carl’s Jr.? That would be a truly lethal combination…
June 20th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
I *still* don’t know how we made it in time. It’s like Winston Wolf in Pulp fiction: “That’s thirty minutes away. I’ll be there in ten.”
Alas, the Carl’s Jr. is not far, but not in the mall. You’re stuck with a Wendy’s for your burgers.