By Nancy Ryerson
Special to DNAinfo
CHINATOWN — Christina Seid wasn't sure whether pumpkin pie ice cream and almond cookies would go well together.
But when the owner of the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory created the sandwich, a mash-up of Thanksgiving and traditional Chinese sweets on a whim, she knew it would be the perfect addition to her store.
Unique tastes are nothing new for the shop at 65 Bayard St., near Elizabeth Street, which has been scooping out green tea, lychee and red bean ice cream since Seid’s father Philip opened up 33 years ago. Back then, Chinese ice cream was a novelty.
"People have become more cultured in what they eat," said Seid, 30. "They used to say, 'That’s so weird. That’s so Chinese.' Now if you’re a foodie you say, 'That’s so cool, so posh.' Food is a great path into culture."
The shop lists 54 flavors listed on its website, including classics like chocolate and vanilla alongside more adventurous tastes like taro, ginger, papaya-mango and durian, a fruit that smells like rotting meat. On a scorching hot day, Seid says she can sell a hundred half-gallon barrels worth of ice cream.
Chinese ice cream flavors began working their way into the U.S. market in the 1970s with green tea ice cream first mentioned in the New York Times in 1973 as part of a review for a Midtown Japanese restaurant. In 1978 Philip Seid joined the growing trend by switching gears from sandwich shop to ice cream parlor.
"Chinese food, or rather the American-Chinese food that has developed, was the safe exotic for many New York diners for years," said NYU food scholar Kelila Jaffe. "And ice cream is familiar, so it’s the perfect medium for the introduction of new flavors."
Seid said she plans to roll out her new sandwiches as part of her catering program at first. But visitors can still blend their own flavors in a cup or cone, choosing from the offerings scrawled in bright marker on a dry erase board.
Seid's shop has become a magnet for foodies, including those brought by tour guides like Max Lodge.
"I show them things that are unique, and this place is definitely unique," said Lodge, who recently led a tour group from southern France into the narrow shop. "Not a lot of people in France have heard of Chinese ice cream." His group's verdict: good, but the serving was too large.
After the French group, the store stayed busy for the rest of the afternoon. Even wearing a shirt with the shop’s cheerful dragon logo, Seid looked tired in the middle of her 12-hour day. She’s been putting in long hours since she was a youngster, scooping and sweeping after school. Her younger sister and dad stop by sometimes, but after taking over from her father eight years ago she’s running the business solo.
Since then, she feels like she’s rarely left the store. But that’s given her the chance to bond with the regulars the shop has come to count on in this tough economy.
"I’ve been coming here for years," said customer Brenda Yang. "I love the different varieties, different flavors. The American flavors are too sweet. It’s fudge this, fudge that."
And when she’s not sandwiching together surprising flavors, Seid enjoys a special perk of working long hours at an ice cream parlor.
"I eat ice cream every day. I’ve grown up on it," said Seid. "It might sound cliché, but I really love ice cream. It’s like my own food group, replacing vegetables."
