I can't believe it's a yogurt store

[Math Is Hard]

We have a new frozen yogurt shop that just opened in the village next to my campus. Everyone has been very excited about the grand opening - low fat, cool, delicious sweet treats! Yay! So we took a trek over there this week to check it out.

Well, they had quite a selection of toppings- fruits, syrups, and everything you would expect - but only two flavors of frozen yogurt. So, I know you're thinking, "that's not so bad, MIH, what are you going on about?"

Well, here's the deal... what do you suppose the flavors were.. chocolate and vanilla? Rasberry swirl and chocolate chip?

NO! The only two flavors on the menu were.. are you ready..? ...

PLAIN AND TOMATO!


And, by plain, I don't mean plain vanilla, mind you. I mean plain yogurt. As in "tastes like sour cream".
And I've got nothing against tomatoes. Heck, I love 'em on a salad. But the last thing I think of is pureeing them up with some plain yogurt and dumping them in a cone with some chocolate syrup and whipped cream on top.

Has the world gone MAD??!??

 

[Evo]

NO! The only two flavors on the menu were.. are you ready..? ...

PLAIN AND TOMATO!


And, by plain, I don't mean plain vanilla, mind you. I mean plain yogurt. As in "tastes like sour cream".

You've got to be kidding! That's disgusting!

 

[Math Is Hard]

And they are SO PROUD of their yogurt! They have big beaming smiles and beg you to try a sample. What a disappointment!

 

[Chi Meson]

Did you look around for the hidden camera?

It must have been a set up.

 

[dontdisturbmycircles]

Tomato frozen yogurt... hmmm, no thanks!

 

[Math Is Hard]

Did you look around for the hidden camera?

It must have been a set up.

hmm.. well, it is in Los Angeles. Could have been for a TV show. We'll see how long it lasts.

Tomato frozen yogurt... hmmm, no thanks!

I read a review on the place. Someone said that eating the frozen tomato yogurt was "like licking frozen V8 juice". mmmmmmmmmmmm

 

[Moonbear]

Eewwwwww! What were they thinking? I hope they go out of business quickly...they deserve nothing less.

 

[edward]

Gees guys it sounds like it would go great with a piece of green tomato pie.

 

[Math Is Hard]

Eewwwwww! What were they thinking? I hope they go out of business quickly...they deserve nothing less.

On top of everything else, they opened the shop right around the corner from a nice little gelato place. Of course the gelato is more fattening, but it's delicious and they have about 25 flavors to choose from.

 

[Math Is Hard]

Gees guys it sounds like it would go great with a piece of green tomato pie.

I'm holding out for the chicken ripple.

 

[Moonbear]

On top of everything else, they opened the shop right around the corner from a nice little gelato place. Of course the gelato is more fattening, but it's delicious and they have about 25 flavors to choose from.

Every gelato place I've been to serves really small portions, so you don't feel too bad about choosing the fattening option. I'd rather have a small cup of gelato than a large cone of tomato frozen yoghurt. They better discover chocolate or vanilla really quickly!

 

[scorpa]

That is absolutely disgusting.

 

[Evo]

Some things just aren't meant to be. I love fish, but I can't imagine fish ice cream. Frozen halibut with sprinkles? Tuna with butterfinger bits?

For some unknown reason this keeps popping up a joke my brother told me a hundred years ago about chicken fried snake and fish ice cream. I don't even remember why it was funny.

 

[TimNguyen]

Is this place called "Yogurt Land"?

 

[hypatia]

That kind of makes me feel queezy.

 

[turbo]

We have a new frozen yogurt shop that just opened in the village next to my campus. Everyone has been very excited about the grand opening - low fat, cool, delicious sweet treats! Yay! So we took a trek over there this week to check it out.

Well, they had quite a selection of toppings- fruits, syrups, and everything you would expect - but only two flavors of frozen yogurt. So, I know you're thinking, "that's not so bad, MIH, what are you going on about?"

Well, here's the deal... what do you suppose the flavors were.. chocolate and vanilla? Rasberry swirl and chocolate chip?

NO! The only two flavors on the menu were.. are you ready..? ...

PLAIN AND TOMATO!


And, by plain, I don't mean plain vanilla, mind you. I mean plain yogurt. As in "tastes like sour cream".
And I've got nothing against tomatoes. Heck, I love 'em on a salad. But the last thing I think of is pureeing them up with some plain yogurt and dumping them in a cone with some chocolate syrup and whipped cream on top.

Has the world gone MAD??!??

That gives me an idea...just mix our blistering-hot pepper relish with yogurt, whip, flash freeze and voila! - a treat that is hot and cold at the same time. Instead of chocolate jimmies, sprinkle with some crushed red pepper, garnish with cilantro, and serve with taco chips. Optional toppings include avocado, lime, and fried banana slices. I'll make some with jalapeno relish instead of habanero relish for the wimps.

Hmmm, I'll have to see if Frito-Lay will tool up to make me some corn-chip-style cones to serve the stuff in.

 

[Math Is Hard]

Is this place called "Yogurt Land"?

It's called Polar Monkey. Have you heard of it?

I was told that they are copying a place called Pinkberry, which is very popular out here. It looks like Pinkberry also only has two yogurt flavors: plain and green tea. That doesn't sound quite as bad as plain and tomato.

This is a sure sign I am getting old when I am griping about how I can't understand something that's popular with the kids these days.

 

[Math Is Hard]

That gives me an idea...just mix our blistering-hot pepper relish with yogurt, whip, flash freeze and voila! - a treat that is hot and cold at the same time. Instead of chocolate jimmies, sprinkle with some crushed red pepper, garnish with cilantro, and serve with taco chips. Optional toppings include avocado, lime, and fried banana slices. I'll make some with jalapeno relish instead of habanero relish for the wimps.

Hmmm, I'll have to see if Frito-Lay will tool up to make me some corn-chip-style cones to serve the stuff in.

I think you're on to something there. Froyo a la turbo!

 

[mattmns]

When I was in Cali over the summer we went to Pinkberry a few times at the outdoor mall in Rancho Cucamonga. It seemed extremely popular (the first time I went it was ridiculously packed), the girls I was with loved it, and I thought it was pretty good as well. It would be nice if they had more flavors to choose from, but they had a nice selection of toppings.

 

[Huckleberry]

I love plain yogurt. It's my favorite flavor. Sometimes when I rent a movie I sit down with a big tub of it and a bunch of fruit, bananas, apples, grapes, strawberries, whatever I have available. By the end of the movie all the fruit is gone and half the tub as well. I try to find something that isn't low fat, but that's hard to do these days.

Tomato yogurt sounds like a real adventure to me. I never thought to try tomatoes with my yogurt before. They don't exactly break apart into nice bite-size pieces.

 

[Math Is Hard]

I love plain yogurt. It's my favorite flavor. Sometimes when I rent a movie I sit down with a big tub of it and a bunch of fruit, bananas, apples, grapes, strawberries, whatever I have available. By the end of the movie all the fruit is gone and half the tub as well. I try to find something that isn't low fat, but that's hard to do these days.

Tomato yogurt sounds like a real adventure to me. I never thought to try tomatoes with my yogurt before. They don't exactly break apart into nice bite-size pieces.

Plain frozen yogurt or plain yogurt?

 

[Huckleberry]

Just plain yogurt. Frozen yogurt is great too but I don't buy it.

 

[Math Is Hard]

Just plain yogurt. Frozen yogurt is great too but I don't buy it.

I like plain yogurt, but I don't think I would like plain frozen yogurt, which is what this store sells. But who knows, maybe I am missing out on something great.

This whole thing reminds me of a Simpsons episode:

Ned Flanders: Come on, you gloomy Guses. Who's up for a big bowl of nonfat ice milk?
Rod Flanders: I want wintergreen!
Maude Flanders: Unflavored for me.
Ned Flanders: Mmm, unflavored nonfat ice milk, "Home Sweet Home-Diddily-Dum-Doodily"

 

[Huckleberry]

Well, keep in mind that I chew aluminum foil just to know what aluminum tastes like. I don't differentiate much between good and bad taste. For some reason I don't like any kind of crustaceans, but I'll eat even those if they are offered. Sometimes a meal comes with those crab rangoon things and I eat them anyway. Can't see anything going to waste.

I wonder if I would like frozen crab yogurt. Is it the flavor or the texture that offends me?

 

[turbo]

Great idea! Maine's fishing industry can use all the help that they can get. Maybe I can get some start-up money from the state to popularize lobster ice cream.

 

[Huckleberry]

Hey, now might be a good time to do that. I heard that Discovery Channel is producing a new television show about east coast lobster fishing. It should be along the lines of 'World's Deadliest Catch'. If that pans out then there could be some public interest in lobster products in your area. Tourists love that crap.

 

[turbo]

Our "signature" crops include blueberries and maple syrup. Hmm, lobster ice cream topped with blueberry jam and maple syrup. The DownEast sundae is born!

 

[Moonbear]

Our "signature" crops include blueberries and maple syrup. Hmm, lobster ice cream topped with blueberry jam and maple syrup. The DownEast sundae is born!

Hmm...I think I'd rather have blueberry ice cream with maple syrup and just serve the lobster on the side.

 

[G01]

We have a new frozen yogurt shop that just opened in the village next to my campus. Everyone has been very excited about the grand opening - low fat, cool, delicious sweet treats! Yay! So we took a trek over there this week to check it out.

Well, they had quite a selection of toppings- fruits, syrups, and everything you would expect - but only two flavors of frozen yogurt. So, I know you're thinking, "that's not so bad, MIH, what are you going on about?"

Well, here's the deal... what do you suppose the flavors were.. chocolate and vanilla? Rasberry swirl and chocolate chip?

NO! The only two flavors on the menu were.. are you ready..? ...

PLAIN AND TOMATO!


And, by plain, I don't mean plain vanilla, mind you. I mean plain yogurt. As in "tastes like sour cream".
And I've got nothing against tomatoes. Heck, I love 'em on a salad. But the last thing I think of is pureeing them up with some plain yogurt and dumping them in a cone with some chocolate syrup and whipped cream on top.

Has the world gone MAD??!??

This place makes a profit??

 

[turbo]

Hmm...I think I'd rather have blueberry ice cream with maple syrup and just serve the lobster on the side.

Well, I already hickory-smoke brined salmon fillets covered with maple syrup to form a sweet glaze, and that is a REALLY popular concoction. I've never had a single person try it who didn't want more. I see no way to work blueberry ice cream into the seafood/syrup mix, though.

 

[Math Is Hard]

Amazingly, I've recently become a plain frozen yogurt convert. The stuff's pretty good with tart fruits cut up into it. I still say no to tomato froyo!

The trend is out of control here. We now have five of these two-flavor yogurt shops in the village: http://www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/news/2007/sep/23/Fro_yo_face_off/

In the time it took Lee and his partners to secure a lease and open a store, three new dessert vendors – all offering the same brand of tart frozen yogurt smothered in fresh fruit – popped up in Westwood Village, bringing the total to a whopping five stores.

Pinkberry, Snowberry, Berry Red Mango, and now, Polar Monkey.

The stores present a Korean-American spin on an old dessert favorite – frozen yogurt tarter, icier and lighter than ever before.

The phenomenon’s rapid spread in Westwood is part of a viral expansion throughout Los Angeles and other major cities across the nation. Pinkberry – the industry leader – has grown to include more than 30 locations just two years after opening its first store in West Hollywood.

As the competition to win over fro-yo enthusiasts intensifies across the Southland, the Village and its stable of hungry college students has become a primary battleground.

“Compared to Pinkberry, we’re a small company,” said Jimmy Han, manager at the Snowberry in Westwood. “But we’re trying to go step by step – bigger, bigger, bigger.”

The one I like is a shop called Red Mango, because it's real frozen yogurt and not a mix.
I've been hearing much rumbling about arguments over who had the original idea and lawsuits aimed at the vendors who aren't offering genuine yogurt.
http://www.koreamjournal.com/Magazine/var/news/storage/images-versioned/128854/1-eng-US/asdsad1_kjarticlemain.jpg
One thing is for sure, we are approaching a full blown yogurt war in Bruintown and this town ain't big enough for five different tart two-flavor yogurt vendors. Someone's going to get hurt.

 

[turbo]

Let'em fight it out, then jump in with a chili jelly!

 

[teknodude]

I should really try it. I still got a buy one get one free coupon they passed out a couple of days ago.

 

[Moonbear]

Are these stores targetting people who might think that if it's tarter, it might be healthier than sweet frozen yogurt?

I can understand just offering two flavors, afterall, I grew up with frozen custard stands that offered just vanilla and chocolate. Once in a while, you'd find one that also offered strawberry, and it was a really big deal when they started offering "swirl" of two flavors. It probably cuts back on waste for a small start-up business to just focus on a couple flavors. Though, I still cannot understand why anyone would choose tomato as one of them. I'm thinking of a variety of other "exotic" flavors that might translate well from ice cream to yogurt, and tomato still isn't in the list. For example, yogurt might be a good alternative for things like red bean and green tea ice cream. Or maybe a tart fruit flavor, like green apple.

 

[J77]

"Plain yoghurt" is the best kind there is -- who needs all the additives.