Sweet Southern Smoothies
Boiling car interiors, sweltering yard work, clothing you don’t so much wear as apply with a damp sponge … another sticky summer is here. We in the Mountain South have several ways to take the edge off the heat, though—our marvelous water; soft drinks like Dr. Enuf; and that traditional Southern beverage, sweet tea. But something new has taken hold here: the tasty, ice-cold, guilt-free smoothie. Never too sweet or tangy, smoothies are life-affirming elixirs with evocative names like Passion Paradise, Celestial Cherry High and Tropical Replenisher. They can be whipped up fresh at home, or conveniently found at such retailers devoted to the frosty drink like Smoothie King and Kèva Juice, as well as most ice cream or yogurt stores.
And it’s all GOOD—deliciously refreshing and downright stimulating. Forget coffee or those canned energy drinks; smoothies offer vitamins, carbs, dietary fiber and antioxidants in the mix. Resembling a cross between a slushy and a milkshake, most smoothies are non-dairy concoctions which derive their wonderful flavor and consistency from a creative blend of fruit, grains and natural flavors like peanut butter, honey and green tea. Low in saturated fat, averaging around 300 calories a cup, you can’t deny the appeal, or the flavor. How could something this good for you taste … this good?
Following development of the groundbreaking Waring blender around 1939, companion cookbooks for this new kitchen appliance listed recipes for fruit drinks as “smoothees.” According to Wikipedia, the frozen drink took on a West Coast connotation sometime in 1967 when a juice bar in Laguna Beach, Calif., started selling them “to beachgoers and hippies strolling by …”
Then, New Orleans, late ’60s. Nothing is hotter than the Big Easy in August. Perhaps out of desperation, a lactose intolerant, allergy-ridden former soda jerk named Stephen Kuhnau developed a line of healthy non-dairy frozen drinks. Apparently coining the term “Smoothie” on his own, Kuhnau officially licensed the name in 1973 and founded Smoothie King, starting a revolution in refreshment. Today Smoothie King is the second largest smoothie franchise in the United States, with about 11 stores in the Appalachian region alone.
Focused almost exclusively on nutrition, “Smoothie King … has a smoothie for every function you’re looking for,” says Chris McKinney, owner of the Johnson City, Tenn., location. “Weight loss, weight gain, energy, immunity build-up. We have a smoothie designed for people going through chemotherapy called the ‘Hulk.’ It helps you bulk up and is a great meal replacement, and that’s really where smoothies are taking off.”
Rather than hit the usual fast food junket, busy consumers like Larry Dison have become sold on smoothie luncheons. “My kids once wanted smoothies after I picked them up at high school, and I said no. But I finally tried one and said ‘man, this would be great for lunch,’” Dison admits. “Now I drink one about three times a week.”
Kèva Juice, another area smoothie hotspot, angles more for atmosphere. Besides the usual list of drinks you can customize with energizers or “blend-ins,” Kèva Juice stores have tribal graphics, and some locations have bins full of board games for customers to play. Kèva also specializes in wheatgrass juice—literally, sod from San Diego put through a special juicer. The resultant murky green drink smells like freshly mowed grass and tastes like … well, freshly mowed grass. “For most people it’s an acquired taste,” says Anthony Rainbolt, the helpful Kèva clerk. A bit like tangy cauliflower and not totally unpleasant, it’s estimated that one ounce of wheatgrass has the same nutritional value of two and half pounds of garden vegetables.
Nutritious boosts aside, smoothies can be terribly comforting in the midst of the Mountain South summer heat. In fact, right now I’m noshing on this nice cold smoothie with an energizer designed to relieve anxiety and tension. Just one more sip and—aarrgh, brain freeze! That’s really the only caveat as you have your own smoothie adventure.
The writer/producer of “Bidding Wars” and “Mothers Car Show Competition” for ESPN2, Robert Bravender enjoyed his first smoothie while on a location shoot.
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How the heck did you remember that I had my first smoothie on a shoot? Even I forgot that! (Note to self: drink the smoothies that help memory)
Many thanks,
Robert
Comment by Robert Bravender — July 8, 2008 @ 9:54 pm