Of sweet tooth, nostalgia, and sales tricks

What might convince a weight-conscious female professional to ditch her self-imposed diet restrictions and indulge in a sinfully sweet, comfortingly creamy ice cream? Well, I can't speak for others, but for me, the temptation to pay tribute to a time-honored Shanghai brand did the trick.

What's more, the resurrection of Shanghai Yimin No 1 Food Factory, one of China's oldest ice cream makers, was creative: the brand chose a new durian flavored sundae to announce its comeback.

That meant, the new ice cream flavor would also save me the embarrassment of savoring the smelly fruit in public.