Mellorine

[Bob]

Has anyone had this ice cream alternative? It seems to be to ice cream what margarine is to butter, and it also seems to be out of style nowadays. My father said that it used to be big when he was growing up, so I've always been curious about it, but I've never seen it in person, or had any. It's not even easy to find online; the first result on eBay is apparently a carton from 1981, which, however mint it might be, I'm guessing is less than perfectly edible now.

[bookworm]

I've never heard of this particular kind, and I've only tried one 'alternative' ice cream before. I didn't care for it, but it may have been because of the flavor I happened to try more than the product itself; I'm not sure but haven't cared to sample more to find out since I don't have any problem with real ice cream.

[KODY 105]

When I finally learned what margarine is, I almost threw up in my mouth. And that was a decade after I'd stopped eating margarine (different people buying the groceries). If you say mellorine is the hydrogenated-oil version of ice cream, I will never, ever voluntarily eat that.

[Catspaw]

I've never heard of this product before either. I wonder if it just didn't sell well enough to continue production or if there was another reason.

I love dairy products so I would be unlikely to try a dairy alternative without a specific reason. I just enjoyed some mint chocolate chip ice cream earlier today.

[Bob]

Apparently there was a large surplus of certain animal fats, and oils, in the years after the war. I'm guessing they were probably also cheaper than regular butterfats, so it was a 'poor man's' ice cream substitute, suitable for a family with seven children. It is still apparently popular in certain countries overseas. I doubt I would be a big fan, but I'd be interested in trying it one time, because of my father's reminiscence.