THE CUP

I'm a fast food junkie, you know.  At least five times a week I'll hit a Mickey-Dee's or a BK or a Long John's or a Jack's or a Wendy's, get a burger or fish or chicken sandwich, a mess of fries and a coke (most times diet, sometimes not).  Often it'll be quite late at night and I'll have to drive up to the window.  A few nights ago, though, I was out early and Sonic was still open.

I've been neglecting Sonic lately; some years ago, when I visited friends in Phoenix, I used to drop into Sonic quite often.  (There aren't any in NY, unfortunately.)  They're one of the few places that'll put more than one syrup in your soda, and if you want an old-fashioned chocolate coke, you can find one there.  As good as chocolate cokes are, I didn't have one that evening; instead, I picked up a new habit.

Slushes.

I'm sure you've had a "slushie" before, at 7-Eleven, or Circle-K, or wherever; they're available all over.  Sonic seems to make 'em a bit different, though.  First off, they add real fruit to some of their slushes; a few premium varieties (at ten cents additional) have the fruit mixed right in.  This adds more honest flavor to the mix, but what really hits you is the syrup.  Take a mouthful on an empty stomach; the heavy acetic syrup hits with a myriad of ice crystals, followed by a sugar rush like slamming the gas pedal on a sports car.  The mildly unpleasant grit of the ice on your teeth, the impending brain freeze, the heavy fruit taste on your tongue, and the red warning lights screaming "BLOOD SUGAR OVERLOAD" in your head, all simultaneously, make for a very interesting experience.

One dose; now I'm an addict.

It's not that the rest of the food was BAD; it's merely that, under the infuence of the slush, everything else is just...  ordinary.  With the slushie boring into my brain, I barely noticed the twin thin-fried hamburger patties, with melted cheese and a thick bed of fine-shredded lettuce on a bun?  (This was a "#2" Super-Sonic cheeseburger, made with mustard instead of mayo; what, no ketchup?)  I ate the "Coney" (named for "Coney Island", apparently; a chili-dog with cheese, and optional onions) almost without noticing it.  The tater tots, normally a welcome change from the fries everyone else serves?  They simply vanished, while I was in thrall to the sugar rush.

(Well, I might be embellishing a bit; I did notice the food, and it was all good, with the possible exception of the rather mild chili on the Coney.  I did enjoy the meal, but in all truth, the slush was quite overwhelming.)

I'm still having flashbacks about that Sonic slush.  Just think -- if I went to the drive-in every day for lunch and dinner, I could have a slush twice a day!  Maybe even drop in for an extra one in between...  NO!  No, I must exercise self control, I must cure myself of this addiction!  No more slushes!  No more...  Well...  Maybe just one...  One a week!  That'll work, I can do it, I can resist...