The "It's Made With Ice Cream...It Has To Be Good! Story

Hemingways on the island of Antigua.

It was an ordinary day.  Walking up the stairs at Hemingways Caribbean Cafe on the island of Antigua with my wife, Carol, and traveling friends Jere and Just Sue.  Halfway up the stairs I yell to Jere, "How about we have a banana split for lunch!"  It was more a statement than a question, and he yelled back, "Sounds good to me."  Hey, we're on vacation and you should be able to have dessert anytime you want.  Fifteen minutes later we were digging into our delicious treats while the girls were eating their rather bland salads.  Now, you do know what a REAL banana split is, don't you? A fellow by the name of David Strickler invented the banana split in 1904 in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.  He happened to be a 23-year-old apprentice pharmacist at Tassel Pharmacy who enjoyed inventing sundaes at the store's soda fountain.  His creation, which actually was called a triple ice cream sundae, originally cost 10 cents which was twice the price of a regular sundae.  In no time it became a popular treat with the students of nearby Saint Vincent College who frequented the soda fountain between classes.  David eventually bought the pharmacy, naming it Strickler's Pharmacy.  

Jere Just Sue and Carol talk to the waitress at Hemingways.

In 2004 the city of Latrobe celebrated the 100th anniversary of the invention of the banana split while at the same time the National Ice Cream Retailers Association certified the city of Latrobe as being the city where the first banana split was made.  Not wanting to be outdone, the city of Wilmington, Ohio claims that they split a banana lengthwise, threw it into an elongated dish and allegedly created the banana split.  The year was 1907, three years after David's invention.  Perhaps they never heard of Latrobe in Wilmington.  

A REAL banana split.  Banana split in two and placed in
an elongated dish.  Vanilla, strawberry and chocolate ice
cream are piled on next with caramel, strawberry and
cocolate sauces next.  Topped with whipped cream and cherry.

The treat actually gained popularity in a Chicago Walgreens Store when Charles Rudolph Walgreen adopted the banana split as a signature dessert at the original drug store's soda fountain.  A banana split has a traditional manner in which it must be made.  The banana must be cut lengthwise and placed in a long narrow dish called a boat.  The classic banana split is made with three scoops of ice cream; one each of vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry served between the split banana.  

Our treat at Hemingways. 

A sauce of each of the three ice cream flavors, chocolate, strawberry and caramel (vanilla) are drizzled onto the ice cream, then crushed nuts and whipped cream tops the ice cream with a maraschino cherry on the top of each one.  I must admit that the dessert that Jere and I had placed in front of us on the second level of Hemingways might not have been a REAL banana split, but it sure was good.  Perhaps then never heard of Latrobe either and how you make a real banana split.  We are heading back to the island soon and will try it once again.  And...if it is still the same, we will have to eat it anyway.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.