A Beginner's Guide To The Yogurt Mill

The tower of yogurt

If you live in East County, chances are that you not only know of The Yogurt Mill, but you are also probably a fan. For those of you not familiar with the Mill, I took some pictures last night that I will use to illustrate an beginner's guide to this El Cajon standby.

1. Finding Yogurt Mill - If you're coming by freeway, just take Interstate 8 to the Mollison Avenue exit. Head north to the corner of Mollison and Broadway and look for the unique leaning tower tucked back a little between Rodeo Market and a dentist's office. You'll know you're in the right place if you see a Starbucks, Panda Rice, and Subway since they share the same parking lot.


The line from our son's point of view

2. Expect a line - If you go during the day, you may often avoid the crowds, but if you go in the evening, you will likely end up waiting in a long line. Last night was an ordinary Wednesday in May that didn't coincide with school vacations nor particularly hot weather. Still, at 8:30 pm, we faced a twenty minute wait. Though our son was the one who originally requested we go to "Yo-gurt Miiiiiiill," the longer we waited, the more squirrely he became. I explained to him that in life we have to wait for a lot of things, but luckily, in this case, the wait is worth it. He agreed.

3. The line forms to the left - If you happen to get in line right when the line is just starting to spill outside, do not stand so that it heads straight out into the parking lot. This is dangerous! That is why there is a sign on the door with instructions to form the line to the left. You may not think this is a big deal when if the line is just a few people deep outside, but it is common that before you know it, there will be twenty or more. Don’t be surprised if you see the end of the line reach the dentist’s office! This brings me to the next point: Read the signs!

4. Read the signs - As mentioned above, there is a sign about forming the line to the left, and yet people don’t seem to read signs, because we will occasionally arrive to find the end of the line in the middle of the parking lot. We sigh, “Rookies,” and the staff also seems to sigh as they end up having to come outside to redirect the line. The staff is obviously trying to get a few important points across to customers, because there are a lot of signs and most of them repeat the same thing. I can just picture a weary employee muttering, “There is a sign that says we do not accept cash. Why did that customer go ballistic that we won’t take their credit card? I guess it’s time to make another sign...”


5. Bring cash - There are in fact several signs inside the Mill that spell out that cash is king, but just so you know before you go there, I’m writing it here: BRING CASH! I admit that it is jolting to go places these days that don’t accept plastic, but this is one of those places, so just make sure to stop by the ATM on your way.

6. Check Facebook for daily flavors - Yogurt Mill always has about ten flavors to pick from. There are five flavors that they offer daily: chocolate, vanilla, coconut, strawberry, and peanut butter. The other flavors, which include no lactose and nutrasweet options, rotate each day. In the past, we’d hear people call in to see what flavors were being offered on a particular day, because regulars definitely end up waiting for their favorite ones to come into rotation. Now, though, it’s easy to see what flavors are up by checking Yogurt Mill’s Facebook page. I’m personally waiting for York Peppermint Patty’s turn.


This lady came prepared with a coupon.

7. Bring coupons - Plan your visit ahead of time and save yourself a little money. There are always current coupons available for Yogurt Mill, whether you find them in local circulars or if you simply do a search online and print them out. The staff is so used to taking coupons that they do not blink when you present them. Just make sure the coupons have not already expired and that they are actually printed out. I’m guessing that is a rampant enough problem, since there are plenty of signs posted about proper coupon use.


Child size on left; Baby size on right

8. Expect large portions - If you’re on a diet, then you might like how you can control your portion size at self-serve frozen yogurt shops. This is not the case at Yogurt Mill. You don’t serve yourself, and the portions are huge. If you used to frequent the Mill in the past, you’ll remember the insider lingo of getting your sizes “dropped.” I think the logic was that they piled yogurt so precariously high that it was necessary to drop whatever size you ordered into a larger cup. Thus, if you ordered a “Child” size, it ended up in effect being a “Junior” and so forth. It was a fun thought, but perhaps in an effort to save our environment from the doubling up of Styrofoam containers, dropping is now a thing of the past. You’ll see that the new size options simply assume the larger size cups, forgoing the internal layer of smaller cups altogether. Thus, today’s “Child” size is now yesterday’s starting “Junior.” As it is, the smallest size available—the “Baby”—is so generous that this is the size I get for myself and my son. As filling as it is, the name pressures my son into thinking that it’s not enough: “I don’t want a Baby size. I’m not a baby!” I have to tell him, “Too bad. I know you’re not a baby. But, at Yogurt Mill, Baby is what you get.” (Just so you know, out of all of the times we’ve been to Yogurt Mill, I have yet to see anyone ever order a cone!)

Our daughter's frozen yogurt mustache

9. The toppings won't disappoint - In recent years, self-serve frozen yogurt shops have popped up all over the place. My husband I have gone to some of them, thinking that it’s fun to be able to add a whole assortment of different toppings. But, having been to these novel newer shops, I have to say that there is something to be said for sticking to the classics. I think that sometimes having too many options is not always the best thing in terms of quality. At other shops, I may end up piling on ten different toppings, but is it really more satisfying than when I get one topping at Yogurt Mill? Not in my experience. The staff at Yogurt Mill somehow seems to add toppings in just the perfect way. They layer toppings throughout the yogurt--except for the baby size, which just has a single layer on top--so that you are able to enjoy toppings with each bite the whole way through. As someone who is prone to worrying about ridiculous things like budgeting toppings as I eat, this is a detail that I appreciate.


The police cars of the officers waiting in line

10. You might find yourself in the midst of local heroes - When you have young children, you learn that firefighters and police officers are akin to major celebrities. In popular culture, people may make jokes about how police like to frequent donut shops, but in El Cajon, it is much more likely you’ll find them at Yogurt Mill. It is actually quite common that you will see a fire truck or police car parked outside of the Mill, but luckily, the only emergency is usually just one involving a yogurt craving. The exception is that one time when we were in line, there was a girl who actually collapsed and had a seizure. While no rescue workers happened to be present then, they did arrive in record time. And, after the girl was safely carried away by ambulance, the remaining rescuers decided that they may as well make the best of it and stay to enjoy some yogurt before heading out. I couldn’t think of a better reward for a job well done.

Three Simple Lessons From An Evening At Peter Piper

Tonight, my husband and I took our kids on their class field trip to Peter Piper Pizza in Rancho San Diego. We used to frequent this location often with my husband's family since my father-in-law is a big fan of their lunch buffet and he used to treat us to it whenever we could coordinate our schedules.

Last year, though, my husband suffered gallstone pancreatitis and had to get his gall bladder removed. This whole ordeal not only inspired my husband to improve his eating habits in general, but it caused him to give up dairy almost entirely. Not fitting into his new diet, we've pretty much sworn off pizza and so our former Peter Piper dates have gone by the wayside.

The field trip tonight was the first time that we've taken our son back to Peter Piper since he's been old enough to actually enjoy the arcade games. Through the critical lens of an adult, the place is not overly impressive. The games seem overpriced and many of them don't seem like they are working all that well.

But, from the viewpoint of my son and his peers, the place is amazing. I have to toss aside my cynicism when seeing the joy in their faces, and open myself up to the lessons these preschoolers have to offer.

Lesson #1: Keep it simple

Our son "making" his own pizza

When our son's teacher mentioned that the kids would get to make their own pizzas, I imagined--in the least--them rolling out their own dough, ladling out sauce, and sprinkling on cheese. As it turns out, the sweet Peter Piper staff member assigned to be our guide brought out pre-rolled dough with sauce already spread. The only "making" necessary was to disperse the cheese that was pre-piled in the middle of the sauce to the edges. (There was also a cupful of pepperoni that kids could add to their pizzas, but our son didn't want any.)

To my delight, our son was not disappointed in the least by the simplicity of the cooking activity. He seemed to take pride in spreading out the cheese before the raw pizzas were whisked away back into the kitchen to be baked. And, ten minutes later, when the hot pizzas were returned to our table, my son glowed as he announced, "I made that!"

As someone who is often guilty of overdoing things, the pizza was a good lesson that all that is necessary is often the most simple.

Lesson #2: Enjoy the game

Even not being that into tickets, our son still came home with these goodies.

Even as a kid, I was kind of a spoilsport. When my parents would take our family to an arcade or carnival, they would give my brother and me each some money. My brother would always spend his money on games, but I always saved mine. I think that fiscal responsibility is important, but seeing my son enjoying games tonight makes me feel bad that I couldn't allow myself to let loose even when I was young.

I am particularly impressed with the way that my son selects the games that he plays. Perhaps his tastes will change as he grows older, but for now, he seems to care more about enjoying the actual gameplay than in winning. Even when he knows that certain games yield more tickets in return, he would rather experience a variety of different games than simply play the same one just to win more tickets.

Lesson #3: Let go of your inhibitions

This last lesson of the night doesn't come from my son, but from one of his classmates. It's a lesson that my son could stand to learn from, too, because he is often shy like me. As evidence of my son's reserve, when the Peter Piper worker was giving the kids a tour of the arcade area, she allowed the children to play some games for free. When she got to the Skeeball section, she asked for volunteers to play, and some kids quickly ran up as fast as she could put tokens into the machines.

With one empty machine left, the worker encouraged my son to play, but as much as I know he likes Skeeball, he just hid behind me and looked at the ground. I can hardly blame him, though, because I have never been the kind of person to raise my hand when a volunteer from the crowd is solicited.

This is where the classmate enters the scene. Not only was this kid happily one of the Skeeball volunteers, he was also the first to step up when the Peter Piper guide brought us to the grand finale of the arcade "tour," which consisted of a brand new game machine that she was quite proud to show off: Deal or No Deal.

To start with, I couldn't believe that this four-year-old kid seemed to understand the concept behind the game, because having only seen the original television show once long ago myself, I am barely familiar with it. The whole experience was surreal. Watching this boy play was like seeing some seasoned adult contestant on a real-life game show. He was so confident, scanning the briefcases with a look indicating he understood that he had to pick the right ones, yet never looking intimidated in the least that a whole crowd had gathered to watch him.

After each round, he kept pressing his luck without hesitation, confidently choosing "No Deal." I know that if I had switched places with him, at thirty years his senior, I would have been nervous having all of these people watch me, and I definitely would have been guilty of being indecisively slow when picking suitcases.

In the end, the kid won the grand prize of 1000 tickets. Just as on a television game show, he didn't disappoint the crowd as he started jumping around with his arms raised in victory. While the game is obviously a matter of luck, I swear that it was his complete lack of inhibition that opened up the gates to fortune.

I don't feel too bad that my son and I are more restrained, because I see the practical benefits of being cautious. All the same, I am inspired that a child so young can have the confidence to stand out in the crowd without the slightest hint of embarrassment and just go for the win.

My Love Letter To Trader Joe's La Mesa

To Trader Joe's La Mesa,



I feel like I have to lay my life on the line just to get some time with you.

After seeing you again yesterday, I am reminded of my conflicted feelings about our relationship. I love you, but at the same time, I also kind of hate you. I feel bad saying this, because I know I'm not being entirely fair to you. After all, the things that I can't stand about you are really not your fault. You have always personally treated me well--I just can't stand the crowd that you seem to attract.



You spice up my life...everyday.



Maybe I just have bad timing. But, it seems like every single time I come to see you, there are countless others who either stop me in my tracks, or else are willing to run me over, seemingly to keep me away from you. Then, as if building up the courage to approach you is not stressful enough, when I finally do manage to meet up with you, there are always more people who keep cutting me off or stopping me in my tracks.

I know that you are popular, and I can completely understand why, but sometimes all of these other people in your life make me question whether or not I should keep on seeing you. In the end, though, I always end up crawling back to you because there is no one else around who has what you have to offer. Believe me. I've been around the block, and in comparison, what you promise is truly one-of-a-kind. Even after a most stressful meeting with you, and no matter how much I may end up cursing your name, I never do leave empty-handed.

I love what you bring to the table.

I guess I just need to step back, take a few deep breaths, and accept that there will always be others in your life. Our relationship has never been an exclusive one, as you know that I am just as guilty of seeing others myself. Having admitted that, you must trust that I am telling the truth when I say that by the end of the day, you leave me feeling quite satisfied. 

So, since I understand that I can't change others--that I can only change myself--maybe what I need to work on is finding better times to come and visit you, when perhaps you are not so busy. And, worst case, I will put up with all of the other people in your life, just as I always have in the past. Don't worry. No matter how worked up I may get, I can't stop coming back for more. You won't get rid of me that easily.

Your hot and cold love,
El Cajon Mama

7-Eleven Self-Serve Beverages Go Up $0.10...Still The Best Deal In Town!

Help the earth and save money with refills!

One of my family's favorite guilty pleasures is 7-Eleven. In particular, I've developed a bad habit of stopping to get coffee in the mornings before work. When it's hard to drag myself out of bed, just the thought of concocting my perfect mix (3/4 full with decaf and then topped off with the cappuccino machine--Pumpkin Spice, if at all possible) gets me a little more excited to get going for the day. I'm guessing that Starbucks must still be doing okay business-wise since I haven't heard about them having to shut down locations, but when you're living in El Cajon, 7-Eleven is king!

My family has so many adventures that include 7-Eleven that I'm sure I'll be writing about it more in the future. For today, I'm just reporting that at all locations, the self-serve beverage prices have increased by $0.10. This means that Slurpees, Big Gulps, coffees, etc. are all just a little more expensive. I actually found out about the price hike yesterday. I was at the counter waiting for my turn to pay when the regular cashier made the announcement to people. The man he was currently helping said gruffly that he wouldn't be coming back anymore, but then immediately just started chuckling. It was apparent that he is a regular, as are most of the morning goers--I'm not the only one who thinks that this is a great way to start the day.

Frequent drinker cards are available at some locations.

Returning to the price increase, I asked the same worker this morning to clarify the new drink prices. He reiterated that drinks across town went up by $0.10 yesterday, but then he made sure I knew that I wouldn't have to worry because I have a reusable cup and so my refill would remain $0.99. I didn't want the guy to think I was complaining, and so I made sure to let him know that I think it's still a great deal. He defended his business saying that it is a lot cheaper than going to Starbucks and then he ended with, "We ain't rich, we live in El Cajon."

As I checked out with my one dollar bill, I was fishing around in my wallet and the cashier immediately knew that I couldn't find my frequent drinker card. He started a new one for me with a smile and wished me a good day. As I headed for the door, a gangsta-looking guy saw me coming and backed up so that he could hold the door open for me to go out. I must say, I felt a little bit like royalty leaving 7-Eleven this morning, and all for less than a buck!