Shave Ice

Posted by Liberty on Jun 3, '07 6:24 PM for everyone

I was reading Rii's "The Heat Is On"and I realized it sure is beginning to get hotter these days and I was inspired to share something cool to you.With beads of perspiration starting to form on my forehead and in places too embarrassing to mention here, I decided I'd share with you guys one of the most favorite past times us locals in Hawaii do on hot days like these.

On days when you feel like the sun is melting your brow or your make-up, two words can save you from completely melting away . Shave Ice! It is a local favorite refreshment whose popularity almost makes it as iconic as the rubbah (rubber) slippahs (slippers) or the surf boards!

The closest description I can think of to shave ice is the Mainland's snow cone, or icee to some. But the ice used for shave ice is finer and the syrups used to sweeten the ice is less sweet and thick than the mainland counterparts. It is served on plastic cones or cups and there is a whole array of syrup flavors to choose from.

Underneath the ice is an assortment of sweet beans, mochi balls, condensed milk and you may request ice cream on top too! One quick lick of this frozen pleasure makes lining up for it (there is always a line in shave ice stores) worth it. But be careful not to eat too fast lest you want to have that notorious brain freeze!

Shave ice stores dot the entire islands but when in Oahu, the shave ice capital is the North Shore's Haleiwa town. The two famous ones are Matsumoto's and Aoki's, both in Haleiwa town. You won't miss any of these two stores because there are always lines of people waiting to get their handmade shave ice! Don't be disheartened. The lines move quickly and is always worth the wait. Besides, when you see those brightly colored ice cones being consumed right there on the sides of the road, it helps make summer a lot more festive already and you want to be a part of it! So go ahead. When in Hawaii, get yourself a shave ice.

Footnote 1: Shave ice-style desserts are popular all over Asia. In Japan, people eat kakikoori or kakigoori, a dessert similar to Hawaiian-style shave ice, only not as finely cut. Koreans have "bingsu “ shaved ice topped with sweetened beans, canned fruits and soybean powder.Taiwanese shaved ice is called baobing or cuobing, which is often topped with fresh fruits, fruit syrup and condensed milk; sometimes the dessert comes with mochi balls. In Singapore, a popular ice dessert isice kachang, which is often served with canned corn, red beans, condensed milk and agar agar.

But I think the king of all shaved ice desserts is the Halohalo from the Philippines. It comes with an assortment of all kinds of sweetened fruits like bananas, sweet potatoes, beans, sugar palms, red beans, nata de coco and roasted flax seeds called pinipig in Tagalog, topped with condensed milk and if you like, ice cream! Mix it altogether and voila, shaved ice

nirvana!

  

HaloHalo galore!

Footnote 2: Shave Ice in Hawaii is spelled the way I spelled it in this entry. The '˜d' is silent, or should I say nonexistent. Hi-hi-hi. Juz da local way, brah!