The queues on the two motorways of Tenerife, especially on the Northern one, are a part of the daily lives of thousands of locals who have been trapped in lengthy traffic jams for many years, delaying their arrivals at their destinations. This reality has stirred up a range of emotions in drivers: anger, frustration, sadness… but it has also sparked creativity and humour among the sufferers.
This Thursday, there was another traffic jam at Padre Anchieta, where there was a hold-up in the afternoon causing delays for dozens of drivers, who were left stationary on the TF-5 tarmac.
Queue at TF 5 at Padre Anchieta / El Día
One of these ‘sufferers’ was the Twitter user Cristian García, who shared an image of the queue on his Twitter profile accompanied by the following text: “Seriously considering getting off and ordering one with chocolate syrup” in reference to one of the vehicles he was ‘sharing’ the queue with. It was one of the iconic California ice cream trucks, one of the brands that have been a part of locals’ lives for over half a century.
[–>
California Ice Cream, a Tenerife classic
[–>
You can’t buy happiness but you can buy an ice cream, which is pretty close. With this motto, the Tenerife family company California Ice Cream SA and its popular ice creams celebrated their 60th anniversary last April. The act of savouring a small cup or cone means becoming part of a tradition with over half a century of history that has been passed down from generation to generation, from those children of the baby boom era who, drawn by the distinctive chime, much like in the children’s tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, would run to meet the van – now a vintage model – and are the ones who now relive the experience, but leading their own children and even their grandchildren by the hand.
[–>
The offering of California ice creams is simple in itself. It is limited to three flavours: cream, strawberry, and mixed. The cream is made daily at the facilities of this company, located in a warehouse at the Pesquera Dock, following the same formula since the day the first van hit the streets of Santa Cruz back in April 1962 and, over time, still remains one of the best-kept secrets. It is only known that an Italian machine, a Carpigiani brand, supplies each van. The liquid ice cream is poured in, gradually beaten until reaching the right texture.
