Wow, it has been a long time since I have posted. I wanted to share a funny story and tell you a little bit about one of my favorite things: Italian sodas. Prepare yourself...it is kind of a long story.
In fall/winter of 2007 I was a nanny for a family that lived in the Avenues in Salt Lake City. Their last name was Peiffer. They had 3 boys Peter (Peter Peiffer, sad) and Liam, who were twins (7) and Eric (4). They also had two dogs: Buddy and Grommet. Grommet used to eat worms out of the ground and then roll in the worm guts and get them stuck in his fur but this information is useless and has nothing to do with the story. Every day from 6:30 am to 6:30 pm I would take care of the boys; get them to school, set up play dates, make them dinner, and take them out for treats. The best part was taking them out for treats. Especially when I happened upon Hatch Family Chocolates with the help of my sister Stephanie. Hatch Family Chocolates is owned and operated by two little people, John and Katie. I had never had an Italian soda before, and was curious when I saw it written up on the blackboard behind the delightful little chocolate counter. I tried one. It was cranberry flavored. I fell in love.
Needless to say, they started to have a soda made for me when they saw my car pull up. It was amazing.
For those poor unfortunate souls who have never had an Italian soda, it consists of the following:
Syrup (cranberry is my favorite)
Club Soda
Ice
Half and Half
(I have theories that they also contain love)
But you cant just put it together like that...there are rules for making an Italian sodas. RULES!
You have to fill the glass with ice first. Then you pour the syrup in the bottom of the glass. Then you fill the glass with club soda. DO NOT STIR or you are basically breaking all the rules of the Italian soda. You then pour enough half and half in the glass to make you happy. Now you can stir it...but only a little! - I dont really stir mine, I just kind of mash the ice with my straw and that seems to churn it up just right. You have to drink your Italian soda through a straw, all the while commenting on how amazingly delicious it is. That is the only way to have an Italian soda...like I said....there are rules.
I have yet to taste an Italian soda that measures up to the ones they make me at the chocolate factory (that is what we lovingly call it) and I have always taken all of my boyfriends there to share a delicious soda with me. One boyfriend that I had took me there quite often. Later, long after we had broken up and John and I got married we were opening wedding gifts and found a huge box full of like 18 Italian soda glasses. It was awkward.
Back to the story. I still try to visit the chocolate factory every once in a while but hadn't been in over 4 or 5 months. I had been craving it for the last few weeks. It was on my mind almost every day. Then this happened: I came home from work one day and John was watching t.v. "Did you know that they are doing a show about little people that run a chocolate shop?" he asked me. "Is it our chocolate factory?" I asked. "No" was his response. Later we were watching t.v. when a commercial came on for 'Little Chocolatiers' on TLC and sure enough, it was John and Katie making their chocolates.
I was panicked. I had been planning on making a trip to the chocolate factory after my last final was completed, you know, to reward myself for all of my hard work...but knowing they were on t.v. made me feel like I couldn't go back. And I needed to go back. So, last week after my last final, I drove over to the chocolate factory and went inside only to find a giant camera crew hovering around (I guess I assumed that they would be done filming since their series had already started). It was horrible. ALL I WANTED WAS MY SODA! Inside, the owner John greeted me. "We haven't seen you in a while." It was true, it had been too long. I ordered my Italian soda and hurried out. It was so worth it. It was divine.
I dont think that I can live without my Italian soda, and I really hope that they dont get too popular for me to keep going back. I need them. I need my chocolate factory.
The end
In fall/winter of 2007 I was a nanny for a family that lived in the Avenues in Salt Lake City. Their last name was Peiffer. They had 3 boys Peter (Peter Peiffer, sad) and Liam, who were twins (7) and Eric (4). They also had two dogs: Buddy and Grommet. Grommet used to eat worms out of the ground and then roll in the worm guts and get them stuck in his fur but this information is useless and has nothing to do with the story. Every day from 6:30 am to 6:30 pm I would take care of the boys; get them to school, set up play dates, make them dinner, and take them out for treats. The best part was taking them out for treats. Especially when I happened upon Hatch Family Chocolates with the help of my sister Stephanie. Hatch Family Chocolates is owned and operated by two little people, John and Katie. I had never had an Italian soda before, and was curious when I saw it written up on the blackboard behind the delightful little chocolate counter. I tried one. It was cranberry flavored. I fell in love.
Needless to say, they started to have a soda made for me when they saw my car pull up. It was amazing.
For those poor unfortunate souls who have never had an Italian soda, it consists of the following:
Syrup (cranberry is my favorite)
Club Soda
Ice
Half and Half
(I have theories that they also contain love)
But you cant just put it together like that...there are rules for making an Italian sodas. RULES!
You have to fill the glass with ice first. Then you pour the syrup in the bottom of the glass. Then you fill the glass with club soda. DO NOT STIR or you are basically breaking all the rules of the Italian soda. You then pour enough half and half in the glass to make you happy. Now you can stir it...but only a little! - I dont really stir mine, I just kind of mash the ice with my straw and that seems to churn it up just right. You have to drink your Italian soda through a straw, all the while commenting on how amazingly delicious it is. That is the only way to have an Italian soda...like I said....there are rules.
I have yet to taste an Italian soda that measures up to the ones they make me at the chocolate factory (that is what we lovingly call it) and I have always taken all of my boyfriends there to share a delicious soda with me. One boyfriend that I had took me there quite often. Later, long after we had broken up and John and I got married we were opening wedding gifts and found a huge box full of like 18 Italian soda glasses. It was awkward.
Back to the story. I still try to visit the chocolate factory every once in a while but hadn't been in over 4 or 5 months. I had been craving it for the last few weeks. It was on my mind almost every day. Then this happened: I came home from work one day and John was watching t.v. "Did you know that they are doing a show about little people that run a chocolate shop?" he asked me. "Is it our chocolate factory?" I asked. "No" was his response. Later we were watching t.v. when a commercial came on for 'Little Chocolatiers' on TLC and sure enough, it was John and Katie making their chocolates.
I was panicked. I had been planning on making a trip to the chocolate factory after my last final was completed, you know, to reward myself for all of my hard work...but knowing they were on t.v. made me feel like I couldn't go back. And I needed to go back. So, last week after my last final, I drove over to the chocolate factory and went inside only to find a giant camera crew hovering around (I guess I assumed that they would be done filming since their series had already started). It was horrible. ALL I WANTED WAS MY SODA! Inside, the owner John greeted me. "We haven't seen you in a while." It was true, it had been too long. I ordered my Italian soda and hurried out. It was so worth it. It was divine.
I dont think that I can live without my Italian soda, and I really hope that they dont get too popular for me to keep going back. I need them. I need my chocolate factory.
The end
