The milkshakes always taste better......

in the other Kytherian Cafe.

When I was young, I spent a great deal of time working in the Gilgandra Fruit Mart.

Gilgandra Fruit Mart, 1960's, complete with milkbar, counter, and stools

Every so often I would feel like a milkshake. I was allowed to make one, and drink it whenever I liked. Which I often did.

But I always felt that the milkshakes - particularly the Vanilla malted's - always tasted better at George Peter (Proto)Psaltis's, Monterey Cafe.

Every so often I would pester my father, Con George (Tzortzo)Poulos, for money, to go and buy a malted at George's.

This would infuriate my father.
"Why do you want to buy a milkshake from there, when we have better milkshakes here?"
But I think the milkshakes taste better there!"
"But how can they? We are both buying our milk from Hargreaves", and the syrup and the malt come from the same place."
"But they do".
"But they can't."
"But they do."
After about 15 minutes of this banter - with great reluctance - my father would relent - and give me the money to go and buy the milkshake at the Monterey.

And I would saunter across the road, order the milkshake, sit in one of the booths, and sip on my milkshake - making sure that I prolonged the drinking experience for as long as I could.

George also went to special lengths to make sure it tasted good.

A decade later, Stella Aird (nee, Kelly) - daughter of Paul and Chris Kelly from the ABC Cafe had a child, Kristi, and she too grew up, in and around the ABC Cafe. (Now, (2005), Kristi Ulgiati, lives and works in Dubbo, NSW).

Every so often, as a young girl, she would come into the Gilgandra Fruit Mart, and order a milkshake. I can't recall now, what her favourite flavour was.

She was convinced that Uncle Con's milkshakes were so much better.

If I served her, I went to special lengths to make sure it tasted good.

She too used to sit on one of the stools, and sip away slowly, prolonging the drinking experience.

A cycle was perpetuated.

The milkshakes always taste better......
in the other Kytherian Cafe.