Food Stuff

The recent smoothie boom has made blended fruit drinks commonplace these days. The other day, though, as I walked through Arden Fair mall, I spied the beverage that is to smoothies as swing is to rock, the trendy drink’s sweeter, lower-octane forerunner: Orange Julius. I had to have one, perhaps because summer is finally here, or perhaps because of misplaced nostalgia for my first-ever job, in 1989, when my friends and I worked the blenders and made fun of the outfits the girls at Hot Dog on a Stick had to wear. (As it happens, there’s a Hot Dog on a Stick across from Orange Julius at Arden, too. It warmed the heart of my inner teenage girl to see that they still have to wear the same outfits.) I ordered up a classic Orange Julius, and it was just as I remembered, sweet and fragrant orange with the yummy, creamy froth on the top. Ah, summer. 1689 Arden Way, (916) 646-6484.