Pinkberry Store

It's frozen. It's sour yet sweet. It's dispensed in a twist. But is Pinkberry \o7really \f7yogurt? That's the uncomfortable question swirling this week around the uber-trendy, Los Angeles-based chain that has attracted legions of calorie-counting, yoga mat-toting devotees and spawned a spate of imitators. "Crackberry" addicts, prepare for your favorite dessert to take a licking from California Department of Food and Agriculture officials. Their answer: Nogurt.

Score one for Pinkberry in the latest round of the all-out Southern California frozen-yogurt fight. The growing Pinkberry Inc. chain took a couple of body blows last month, when two consumer lawsuits were filed contending that the popular frozen dessert lacked the healthy bacteria cultures found in yogurt.

The driver of the Dodge pickup honked angrily at the double-parked Lexus SUV that blocked his way. He yelled an obscenity, gunned the truck and swerved into the oncoming lane, only to have to slam on his brakes to avoid hitting two women who were jaywalking in front of him as they nibbled from cups of frozen dessert. He honked and yelled again. One of the jaywalkers flipped him off as the pair ambled on to the sports car they had left sitting, illegally, beneath a no-parking sign.