Life and Culture - Sorbetes at ang Mamang Sorbetero

Sorbetes at ang Mamang Sorbetero

By: Tita Nene

 Summer is always hot and humid in the Philippines. In the streets, peddlers vending homemade ice cream called sorbetes are seen. The customer chooses the flavor, the most common being ube, cheese and chocolate. The customer can choose to have the ice cream scooped on a cone or served in a bun as an ice cream sandwich.

Sorbetes is peddled by sorbeteros (ice cream vendor) using colourful, painted wooden carts which usually can accommodate three large metal canisters, containing three different flavours of ice cream. Sorbeteros get their pushcarts from ice cream makers in the morning and peddle the delicious ice cream from street to street, calling consumers all day  from their houses by ringing a small handheld bell to announce their presence. To keep the ice cream frozen the whole day, the cart is stuffed with shaved ice sprinkled with salt around the metal canisters.

Sorbetes is also known as “dirty ice cream” but they’re not actually dirty per se, but for some unknown reason, we grew up calling it as such. It is believed that the term 'dirty ice cream' was coined by the foreign dairy companies in order to out-compete the local ice cream vendors and sellers.

 Although “sorbetes” had became a brand name for an ice cream company, it will always mean ice cream in pushcarts among the older generations. For me, eating sorbetes is a delightful ice cream experience that brings back a lot of childhood memories and reminds me of hot summer lazy afternoon.  Sorbetes vendors are a common sight in the streets.  During your visit to the Philippines, don’t forget to look for the sorbetero and try this cheap and surprisingly refreshing treat. 

 

 Sorbetes-inspired songwriter Jose Marie Chan wrote “Mamang  Sorbetero” sang by  Celeste Legaspi.  During the “A Touch of Heritage”, the Penrith Filipino Community School students, staff and parents gave the audience a rendition of the Mamang Sorbetero with Lionel Laserna acting as the

Sorbetero.