What is a smoothie?

[watervole]

In my lexicon, a smoothie is a drink that is primarily made from fresh fruit, mixed in a blender and possibly with a bit of fruit juice or ice added to the mix.

What I got served in Nathan's on Poole High Street this afternoon appeared (and tasted like) a mug full of crushed ice with a banana-flavour sryup mixed in with it. No fresh fruit content at all. No fruit content at all...

There have been very few occasions in my life when I have asked for a refund for something I've bought in a cafe. This was one of them. I got back my £2.50, which had been a staggeringly exhorbitant price for a mug full of slush.

And the panini were pretty dire too.

What is the point of serving a panini on a serviette when the cheese drips out over the serviette and makes it stick to the panini? I don't care for eating serviette - but it was impossible to remove it!

Comments

[quasi-hayley.livejournal.com]

Smoothie? Fresh fruit? Definitely. If it's just crushed ice then it's either a slushie or...whatever they call those iced drinks in Starbucks. To me a smoothie can have milk in it too just so long as it's primarily fruit.

Sounds like you won't be going there again.

[alex-holden.livejournal.com]

That sounds like they gave you a Slush Puppie (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slush_Puppie).

[whotheheckami.livejournal.com]

I would add that the fruit doesn't have to be fresh and can be frozen. I just can't see any point in air-freighting fruit in for smoothies. Frozen mango pulp works just as well and makes the most wonderful mango lahsi - mmmm

[fifitrix.livejournal.com]

Good for you for asking for a refund!

Smoothies in my book should be just fruit (whether fresh or frozen - must mind our food's airmiles), with maybe yogurt added if you like.

My personal favourite at the moment is a yogurt with frozen berry mix or frozen mango blended to make a yogurt smoothie. Makes a lovely breakfast!

I also hate it when they wrap melted things in paper napkins so that you can't get the paper off. I took a slice of pizza back to a deli shop once because of that - and you should have seen the look I got!! It's not my fault that the dozy mare behind the counter put the napkin on top instead of underneath.

[watervole.livejournal.com]

I agree. I would have been okay with frozen fruit. I have had lovely smoothies in the past made with frozen berries. The problem here was the lack of any fruit at all.

(although this was a banana smoothie, so I would have expected a fresh banana in there, as bananas do not freeze well)

[kerravonsen]

I would have been okay with frozen fruit.
Some places that specialize in smoothie-like drinks use nothing but frozen fruit; they're fine.

as bananas do not freeze well

In my experience, bananas freeze very well! Peel them, chop them up into chunks, freeze them.
One of my favourite home-made smoothie recipes consists of nothing but frozen banana and milk (no ice or ice-cream needed). If the banana:milk ratio is high enough, one gets a thick-shake.

Another fruit that makes lovely frozen-fruit smoothies is mango.

[kerravonsen]

and makes the most wonderful mango lahsi

Oooh, must remember that; I still have some frozen mango in my freezer (puts yogurt on mental shopping list)

[kerravonsen]

Yep. A smoothie is made primarily of fresh or frozen fruit -- that's what makes it a smoothie. The other contents can vary; milk, ice, ice-cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet/gelati...

[whotheheckami.livejournal.com]

Have you tried a salt and cardomen lahsi? Quite difficult to get your taste buds around at first, but the best foil for hor curries

[kerravonsen]

No, I can feel my tastebuds revolting from here. I'd rather have the traditional rose flavour...

[lil-shepherd.livejournal.com]

Only to add that they can include veg as well as fruit, and one of the best I ever had was mainly veg, and in Oz, just off the Great Coast Road...

[emmzzi.livejournal.com]

I agree on the bananas.They make a fab non-dairy ice cream if you freeze 'em, blitz 'em and add maple syrup.Yum.