London’s “king” of ice cream gets a special message from around the globe
Ask any child who grew up in the suburbs or small-sized cities about their childhood memories of the ice cream guy. Nothing sounds better than the sound of an ice cream truck moving down your street when you’re outside with friends.
The tones are sobering and poignant when you flash forward to December 17, 2021. Ten ice cream trucks were slowly rolling through southeast London that day, each one playing its own song in memory of Hassan Dervish. According to reports, Dervish was the unofficial king in the ice cream industry in the region. He had many friends and colleagues who were concerned about him. We believe they came to his funeral procession in order to give him a farewell.
While we can understand that some people might find a little funny humor in all of this, we are serious. According to The Washington Post Dervish arrived in the UK in his 20s from Cypress. He worked in the ice cream industry before opening his own factory in 2000. He loved ice cream but also loved seeing the joy it brought others. It is rare to find something more charming than seeing children chase after an ice cream truck while it passes.
He clearly shared his passion for others. After a long battle against cancer, he died on November 12. The funeral was delayed a month because of COVID-19 safety limitations. Although a small number of people were able to attend, his friends from the ice cream community gathered together for one final drive around the block. Louisa Davies, a Twitter user, was able to capture the funeral procession (embedded below) and confess that she was weeping as they passed. The video became viral and everyone knows all about the King of Ice Cream in London.
You know what? We’re also tearing up some onion-scented icecream.