The Date Shake

"And I wanna sleep with you in the desert tonight
With a billion stars all around"

That's when the polo grounds come alive, after dark, when the palm trees are swaying, the mountains are still discernible and the sky is covered with stars.

I didn't understand Palm Springs. Hell, I didn't even know there was desert in California, I thought it only existed in Africa!

And I never got it until a couple of years back, when my mother was spending the month there and I got up on a February morning and it was brisk and clear and invigorating. I thought Palm Springs was for oldsters...maybe I'm an oldster now.

I guess that's part of the Coachella/Stagecoach experience, hanging at the house before you venture over to the gig. And while we were sitting at the table, Lisa implored us to go for a date shake.

I think it's a Palm Springs thing. I've never had one anywhere else. Actually, I've only had one one time before, out by the freeway, twenty five years ago, and it was tasty, but not memorable.

Unlike the one at Shields.

You know those movies about Florida, where the paint has faded on the buildings and they don't look like they've been touched since the fifties?

That's what Shields is like.

Lisa, Felice and Claudia spotted it on the way back Friday night.

We detoured there on Saturday.

I wanted to see the movie. I'm a sucker for films and museums.

Yup, at the end of the building they feature a fifteen minute flick "Romance and Sex Life of the Date" in a permanent auditorium and those in attendance looked like this would be the highlight of their day, I was wet behind the ears compared to them, and Jay peeked in too, but we had to go, there was not time for nostalgia.

And by time I strolled back to the cafe through the date-themed novelty items the shakes had already been served, we were ready to go, BUT I WANTED MY OWN!

Felice said one was enough.

One is never enough. I'm about ready to go back to the desert to imbibe again.

$4.75 seems extreme. But the cup was huge. And what was inside was...

Thicker then the shake at In-N-Out. Not plasticky like the one at McDonald's. You sucked hard and the elixir of life came up through the red straw.

It tasted like dates not at all, and I like dates!

It was smooth, ice-creamy and just a tad gritty. I kept sucking and sucking, to quote Depeche Mode, I just couldn't get enough.

So the next time you're venturing to Coachella, for the iconic festival or Stagecoach, be sure to make a detour to Shields.

Because life is not about acquisitions, but momentary experiences, the kind you can recall decades later, the taste on your tongue, the feeling down your throat... We live in a foodie era, but some of the best things in life have been around forever. Partake...

https://www.shieldsdategarden.com/default.aspx

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3KPTyQ40a4


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