29 August 2009

Meng long, Dream Dragon: The Magnum Bar



Some of you who went into my dorm room when I was a freshman may recall an wrapper that I had hung on the wall. On a deep brown background, prominent gold letters simply declared “MAGNUM” and were surrounded by lots of Chinese characters. This oft-question cover once held none other than the most delicious ice cream bar ever made: the Magnum bar.

This chocolate-covered ice cream treat is not sold in the United States, though it is available in some other countries. Its Chinese name is “meng long,” which translates to “dream dragon” - how epic is that?!

Anyway, the Magnum bar was first recommended to me on my trip last summer by none other than Furman professor and SC State Superintendent hopeful Brent Nelsen, who declared, “A Magnum a day keeps the doctor away!” The bar comes in a variety of flavors, including almond, coffee, and chocolate. A standard Magnum bar consists of a smooth or crispy chocolate coating over scrumptious, creamy ice cream. They run anywhere from 4-20 kuai (20 obviously being well overpriced).

[“Kuai” is slang for “yuan,” which is the Chinese currency. The exchange rate is currently around 6.78 per dollar.]

Last summer, I ate as many Magnums as I possibly could - I probably averaged one per day and sometimes ate even more than that - because I didn’t know if I would ever be able to have them again! Now, though, as I will be here for three months, I have tried to restrain myself; fellow Magnum fan and classmate Robert and I have set a limit of 3 per week plus celebratory bars at any time.

1 comment:

  1. Emily! I miss you so much! I'm pretty jealous right now that you get to do really cool stuff while I'm stuck here writing papers. Chinese, I am sad to say, is not the same without you. Let's just say that none of us could remember how to write our Chinese name on the first day. EPIC FAIL! I wish I could be there (the government just won't let me) and tell everyone hi for me!

    Sofi DP (Dai Sufei)

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