A COLD DAY AT COOBI
Actually, it was a warm day when Feasts Nightly and Snacks Daily walked into Coobi Frozen Yogurt. It was one of the last days of a February’s false spring. Feasts was in need of a treat, Coobi was close at hand, and Snacks was game. Situated on 9th street next to the MOCHA (Museum of Children’s Art in
Actually, it was a warm day when Feasts Nightly and Snacks Daily walked into Coobi Frozen Yogurt. It was one of the last days of a February’s false spring. Feasts was in need of a treat, Coobi was close at hand, and Snacks was game. Situated on 9th street next to the MOCHA (Museum of Children’s Art in
downtown Oakland), you'd think that this location would be a hopping hit for a frozen yogurt joint.
On the day we went, it was eerily quiet at Coobi. I was confused at first by the wall of machinery, and then realized it was entirely self serve; sold by the pound. Usually, I don’t want to see the machinations of my treats… it is enough for me to intereact with a young person and receive my soft serve––or frozen yogurt––in a blur of braces and acne. At Coobi, I had to put my DQ fantasies aside and go for it. Besides, the bored gentleman reading a paperback behind the counter didn’t look like he wanted to be bothered.
With total earnestness I stepped up to the machine, placed my paper container beneath the spout, and pressed the vanilla button. The machine made all the grinding and whirring it could, then produced a perfect Play-Do turd of icy looking, off-white, vanilla. I pressed again and words began to flash on the control panel, “mix low”…. not the best feeling. I don’t like a low mix. We shot it up with a little chocolate that at least looked creamier, and then hit up the purple taro flavor that makes great bubble tea. Off to the scales!
We weighed in light and got off cheap. Good thing too… the “mix”, or whatever it is, was not satisfying. There was a generic processed food taste in my mouth for about a half hour afterwards. It was the kind of taste only the amber colored Listerine, or a cold shot of vodka, could erase. Maybe it would have helped to put some toppings on, but I seriously doubt it.
For the masochistically inclined foodie, there is a menu that includes hightlights such as Texas bbq Wrap. “Do what now? Coobi frozen yogurt makes Texas bbq?” Yes'm. Didn’t you see the smoker and the pit, next to the toppings bar? Why, its the taste of Texas inside of a––ahhh, what is it? What is this thing, wrap? Is it cellophane, whole wheat, gluten free, bulgar, corn syrup, latex, wax paper, tin foil? It’s for sure not a tortilla. Wraps. My brain goes straight to potty language….brrrrrrrrraaaaaaaap! I thought wraps only existed in airports.
I think the owners of this Coobi franchise should pull a total coup…re-name it, re-brand it, get a killer frozen yogurt recipe, try it out until it is perfect, and then reap the benefits of their hard work as people line up down the block on warm days. If it was as good as Yumi Yogurt in Redwood City, I’d be there all the time. Oh, and build the counter out past the self-serve machines so that they are no longer self-serve. With the increased business, the owners will need to give some jobs to young people in the neighborhood who are spunky and saving for college… win! win! win!
Coobi Frozen Yogurt
536 9th street, Oakland, CA 94607
(510) 839-0255
wtfdto is a persistent production, a division of the toodleton enterprise network
photos k. thomson
Coobi Frozen Yogurt
536 9th street, Oakland, CA 94607
(510) 839-0255
wtfdto is a persistent production, a division of the toodleton enterprise network
photos k. thomson
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