Chocolate Frosted
My dad grew up in Poughkeepsie N.Y. The drink, which is called a chocolate milk shake in most of the country (and a cabinet in Rhode Island and a frappe in Boston) was called a chocolate frosted back then, and that, by God, was what my dad still called it.
When I was in college in Rhode Island, we’d go to a diner and he’d order a chocolate frosted. The person behind the counter never knew what it was, which frustrated my dad and he’d carefully explain how to make one. She’d say, you mean a cabinet. He’d say no, it’s a chocolate frosted.
I moved up to Boston and it was the same scene, only with the counter person trying to explain that it’s a frappe. No, it’s a chocolate frosted. My dad refused to call it anything else.
Years later I was passing through Poughkeepsie by myself and stopped in at a diner for something to eat. The guy behind the counter was about my dad's age.
I had an inspiration—I ordered a chocolate frosted. The guy just beamed.