The joys of the snowball

By Ellen Reich

Editor's Note: While Suzanne is recuperating from knee surgery, several In Good Taste readers have agreed to share their food thoughts and experiences.

I grew up in Baltimore to parents born and raised in the Bronx. While not "foodies" or whatever the term was at the time, they were mildly amused by some local culinary traditions.

I can sometimes still hear my father's voice at a deli: "Who wraps a hot dog in bologna?"

Or, when eating crabs: "These things look like insects. The first person to eat them must have been starving."

But, what astonished my father the most about only in Baltimore food was our summertime treat: People actually wait in line and pay money to eat crushed ice with colored sugar water?!?

My father really didn't understand the joys of the snowball. But I did.

In fact, I make it a habit --ok, maybe I feed a mild obsession--to check out ice-based desserts when I travel. The best are found in places where it's both the heat and the humidity. The snowball serves as the yardstick by which all other frozen H2O desserts are measured.

Outside of Charm City, the best use of ice in desserts is found in Malaysia and Singapore, in an amazing treat called chendol. And, one would be hard pressed to find a frozen concoction more amazing than halo halo, or "mix mix" from the Philippines (pictured left).

There are a dissertation's worth of differences between the snowball, chendol, and halo halo, from the texture of the ice to the toppings. As great as our snowballs are, I need to inform you that there are some serious challengers in the best ice dessert ever category from Southeast Asia. You have ice topped with brown sugar and lychees and corn and red beans and purple yams. Yes, these desserts are even more colorful than a half spearmint, half watermelon snowball. They are equally or more delicious. Egg custard flavor isn't even in the same league.

But, since I'm here, and it's almost summer, make mine a sky blue, with marshmallow, please.

Sorry, Dad.

Ellen Reich owns a small import business, Three Stone Steps, which allows her to travel to Asia at least yearly to work with small producer groups and eat iced-based desserts. Please don't even think of getting her started on differences between the crabs found in the Chesapeake and those from elsewhere.