Los Chinos de Ponce explained

King's Cream "Los Chinos de Ponce"
Type:	Private
Location:	Ponce, Puerto Rico
Founder:	Alfredo Louk and Violeta Chang de Louk
Industry:	Retail
Products:	Ice cream
Num Employees:	approx 6

Los Chinos de Ponce (English: "The Chinesemen of Ponce"), formally King's Cream, is an Ice cream parlor located at Calle Marina 9322 in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico, in front of the town square, Plaza Degetau, opposite the historic Parque de Bombas. Critics have called the site "a Puerto Rican institution" and its ice cream "the Caribbean's best."^{[1] [2] [3]} It has also been called "Puerto Rico's most famous ice cream stand."^[4] Another critic called it "[the reason] for which I'll always remember Ponce."^[5]

History

Their owners/founders were Alfredo Louk, originally from Guangzhou, China (Canton in Spanish), and his wife Violeta Chang de Louk, a Cuban woman of Chinese immigrant parents. The couple had fled the Fidel Castro government and established themselves in Ponce in 1963.^[6]

They opened the first King's Cream store in 1964.^{[7] [8]} It was located at 61 Calle Vives, between Calle Union and Calle Atocha.^[9] A second outlet of the same company opened three blocks away across Plaza Las Delicias on Calle Marina a few years later.^[10]

Offering

The store has an array of local flavors,^[11] including pineapple, parcha (passion fruit), coconut, guanabana (soursop), tamarind, acerola, peanut, maize, and almond^{[12] [13] [14]} in addition to the traditional vanilla and chocolate flavors.

See also

• List of Puerto Rico Landmarks
• Chinese immigration to Puerto Rico
• Piragua

Further reading

• Lee-Borges, José. Los Chinos en Puerto Rico. (In Spanish) Second Edition. Ediciones Callejón. 2015. 437 pages. .

External links

• Photo of King's Ice Cream at Calle Marina 9322
• Photo of King's Ice Cream outlet at 61 Vives Street
• King's (Ice) Cream official menu list

Notes and References

1. http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=1346 Editor's Picks: Offbeat San Juan:Day-Tripping.
2. https://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2007-02-28-escapes-under-500-puerto-rico_x.htm Escapes under $500: Go to Puerto Rico's second city.
3. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-12-13-mn-1427-story.html Puerto Rico's second city becomes a hot ticket: Ponce, anchored by a whimsical firehouse, is turning itself into an architectural tour de force.
4. http://www.puertorico-herald.org/issues/2002/vol6n17/PRRamblings-en.html South Florida Sun-Sentinel: Puerto Rican Ramblings.
5. http://www.puertorico-herald.org/issues2/2005/vol09n34/PRWeekend.html The New York Sun: Puerto Rico For The Weekend.
6. Jose Lee-Borges. Los Chinos en Puerto Rico. San Juan, Puerto Rico: Ediciones Callejon. 2015. Pages 23 and 24.
7. http://journeytos.blogspot.com/2009/08/barrio-sabanetas-plaza-las-delicias.html Barrio Sabanetas, Plaza las Delicias, Parque de Bombas and Helados Chinos.
8. http://www.frommers.com/destinations/ponce/0328010008.html Walking Tours: Ponce.
9. Jose Lee-Borges. Los Chinos en Puerto Rico. San Juan, Puerto Rico: Ediciones Callejon. 2015. Pages 23 and 24.
10. http://www.lonelyplanet.com/puerto-rico/southern-and-western-puerto-rico/restaurants Restaurants in Southern & Western Puerto Rico: King's Cream.
11. http://www.letsgo.com/1836-southeast-travel-guides-ponce-d Let's Go to Ponce.
12. http://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Food/Stir-It-Up/2012/0522/Travel-Discovering-Ponce-Puerto-Rico Travel: Discovering Ponce, Puerto Rico: A culinary highlight was 'mamposteao,' a simple rice and bean side dish.
13. http://www.ajc.com/news/entertainment/ponce-recalls-19th-century-colonialism-in-puerto-r/nSbx6/ Ponce recalls 19th century colonialism in Puerto Rico.
14. http://www.periodicolaperla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5463:arropan-con-banderas-rojinegras-el-dia-mundial-de-ponce&catid=119:articulos&Itemid=34 Desfilan en masa para honrar a Ponce .