The New York Times recently ran a story about a backlash against ice cream carts and trucks, with parents complaining about the endless jingles and ringing bells that send kids into a sugar-crazed frenzy. Lincoln Heights resident Melle Belle Karakawa can sympathize since she and her neighbors are subjected to the sounds of dueling ice cream trucks seeking to attract the attention of neighborhood kids:
“The hilly canyon affords me the cacophony of eight ice cream trucks in an hour! Every day! Velez has two trucks it operates with the ‘music box’ song. It is the worst offender, with repeat trips around and around the block. Alarcon operates the truck with the Christmas carols. When I come home from work Friday, while driving up 28th, I encountered THREE trucks on ONE BLOCK! What I wonder is, is my neighborhood the ONLY one that Ice Cream trucks can drive in?”
New Yorkers have heard enough of that “music box” song, too. In response to complaints, the city banned ice cream trucks from playing music while stopped. Vendors in Las Vegas, meanwhile, must sell ice cream sandwiches and chocolate covered drum sticks in silence after 8 p.m. Now what about those bells on the ice cream carts?
Photo by Melle Belle Karakawa
{ 0 comments }
L.A. Web Awards 
Best of L.A. 
The Eastsider publishes stories and news from the northeast corner of the City of Los Angeles and neighboring East Los Angeles. Who is the Eastsider? Where does the Eastsider roam? 