Letter to the Editor: Would Elvis truly consider this birthday a 'happy' one?

The changes to Salt and Straw's ice cream honoring the Elvis greatly offends one of our readers

By Micaela Snashall | January 17, 2018 1:49pm
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Micaela Snashall is highly concerned about some changes at Salt & Straw.
Media Credit: Erin Bothwell / The Beacon

To whom it may concern:

As a monthly, and often weekly, customer at Salt & Straw for the last three years, I have established a deep love for every waffle cone-scented experience. Throughout these last three years, the volatile nature of young adulthood has left me heartbroken, thrilled and impatient with uncertainty. Whatever the emotion or question, Salt & Straw has always been the solution. 

From the Goat Cheese Pumpkin Pie to the Lucky Charms, Salt & Straw has changed as the seasons always do, bringing with it a monthly renewal and anticipation for something bright in a world of so much gray. 

January 19 has been a day of ambivalence since my mother cancelled my birthday in high school...a feeling only lifted to higher spirits when I discovered Happy Birthday Elvis. Something about the wild combination of the King's favorite snack churned into ice cream heightened my happiness when I first tried the oddity three years back and lifted my spirits higher than any gift or blessing ever had — save the birth of my younger sister.

I was devastated to hear of the alteration in the ingredients this January. As this is my last year in Portland, the excitement leading up to the first Friday in January is incomparable to any I've felt before the midnight release of the upcoming Harry Potter films. Upon walking into my sanctuary, I was appalled to find the banana ice cream combined with coconut, and the bacon bits replaced with an imitation.

I decided to maintain positive aspirations unless my taste buds protested to the new flavor...a circumstance that unfortunately occurred. I feel abandoned and excluded from a place I've called home these past three years, and hope the executive board at Salt & Straw knows the state of devastation it’s left one of their most loyal customers in. 

I anticipate an explanation for this change in circumstances and hope Salt & Straw is aware of the impact its decision has on those who rely on its consistency as a true source of safety and happiness. 

Best regards,

Micaela Snashall

Micaela Snashall is a senior Economics and Political Science major. She can be reached at snashall18@up.edu

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