Mint chocolate chip, butter pecan, or rocky road? Cake cone, sugar cone, or waffle cone? Today's ice cream cone creations are seemingly endless. For many, this cool, creamy indulgence makes for a refreshing and portable treat. However, single-serve ice cream as we know it wasn't always quite so…tempting. Here's the scoop on how some people enjoyed ice cream before the cone came to be.
Ice cream first became popular in England in the mid-1800s. According to Atlas Obscura, ice cream street vendors at the time were known as Jacks. They sold tiny servings of ice cream in a glass container called a penny lick. As its name suggests, the cup held just a "lick's worth" of ice cream. The small vessel—made of thick glass—held much less ice cream than it appeared. No spoons were needed. Customers would lick the glass clean and give it back to the Jack for reuse. But the penny lick's misleading serving size was the least of its problems.
Sweet-toothed customers got more than a lick of ice cream for their penny. They also got a lick at contracting a contagious disease. The Guardian reports that penny licks "were rarely wiped, let alone washed, between customers." Plus, the penny lick's shape made it hard to clean. Germs were easily passed from one customer to the next.
Today, this system might send people screaming away from ice cream. But in the first half of the 19th century, people in England knew little about germs. However, word later spread about the contagious nature of tuberculosis and other diseases. And penny licks began to fall out of favor.
In 1879, a medical journal blamed an outbreak of a disease called cholera on penny licks. A law was passed in 1899 banning the use of those dirty dishes in London. Penny licks were fully outlawed in England in 1926.
While the penny lick was permanently shelved, its story does have a sweet ending. The penny lick's downfall helped bring about the ice cream cone. Now, edible cones come in various shapes, sizes, and flavors. They remain crowd-pleasing containers for a scoop or two on the go. Cones even help hinder the spread of germs, assuming you keep your licks to yourself.
Think about the events below. Which of these happened third?
Penny licks were banned in the city of London.
Vendors started selling ice cream in small glass cups called penny licks.
Penny licks were fully outlawed all over England.
A medical journal blamed an outbreak of cholera on penny licks.
Penny licks were fully outlawed all over England.
Which passage from the article best supports the idea that penny licks were to blame for spreading germs?
Sweet-toothed customers got more than a lick of ice cream for their penny. They also got a lick at contracting a contagious disease.
[Vendors] sold tiny servings of ice cream in a glass container called a penny lick.
The small vessel—made of thick glass—held much less ice cream than it appeared. No spoons were needed.
[Edible cones] remain crowd-pleasing containers for a scoop or two on the go.
Sweet-toothed customers got more than a lick of ice cream for their penny. They also got a lick at contracting a contagious disease.
The article states:
Ice cream first became popular in England in the mid-1800s. According to Atlas Obscura, ice cream street vendors at the time were known as Jacks. They sold tiny servings of ice cream in a glass container called a penny lick.
Which phrase from the passage helps you understand the meaning of the word vendors?
they sold
became popular
tiny servings
glass container
they sold
What is a cause-and-effect relationship that takes place in the article?
The discovery of germs resulted in the invention of the penny lick.
An understanding of germs led to the penny lick being banned.
A decrease in contagious disease led to the penny lick becoming popular.
The end of the ice cream cone resulted in the development of the penny lick.