Banana Split Smoothie

I never understood why the guys who operated the drugstore soda fountains in the 1950’s were called “soda jerks.” Although I don’t recall meeting one personally, they always look like boy-next-door types in the movies.

Now, doesn’t he look like a nice boy talking to Annette seemingly all interested and polite? He’s probably thinking, “scram kid…nobody puts baby on a stool.”

Anyway, answers.yahoo.com says that “the name soda jerk came from the jerking action the server would use on the soda fountain handle when adding the soda water.” Apparently this was a very coveted job back then…they had to wear bow ties.

Do you think we could get teenage boys to do that now?

Can you imagine the facebook commentary?

Besides ice cream sodas, drug store soda fountains used to serve all kinds of other treats, like Banana Splits. I remember sitting at the counter at the Five & Ten Cents Store on Girard Avenue in Philadelphia with my best friend Maureen eating a burger, drinking a fountain coke and sharing a banana split. They still have a Five & Ten Cents Store in OCNJ and oldest daughter calls it the Five x Ten Store because we spent $50 one summer on toilet paper, laundry detergent and Motrin.

That was funny.

So, I thought it would be fun to make a smoothie using a drug store soda fountain classic, a banana split, as inspiration!


Banana Split Smoothie
1 cup fresh strawberries, sliced
1 banana
1 cup non-fat vanilla frozen yogurt
A few big squirts of Hershey’s syrup
2 cups ice
Whipped cream
Maraschino Cherries

Blend strawberries, banana, frozen yogurt, Hershey’s syrup and ice until smooth and creamy. Top with whipped cream and a cherry, pop in two straws, grab your sweetie (or drink it all by yourself out of both straws) and enjoy!


Soda Jerk photo from google images.