When I was a kid, shaved ice was my thing. In Saigon it was always hot as if summer was all year round. So anything cold is our favorite.
I remember I was going to my very first English lessons of my life, every Saturday morning until noon. Standing under the sun at 30 degrees or so with no shade was not so pleasant to me, so while waiting for my sister to pick me up, I always got myself a cup of shaved ice from an ‘iceman’ across my school. He was on a bike, with a huge plastic box behind his seat, and a basket full of colored bottles in front. Kids like me gathered around him like a treasure. He took out an enormous block of ice, as big as a brick, and shaved it on a woody grater. Then he drizzled some syrup on top, then condensed milk, and that’s it.
Ridiculously simple, but it was the childhood of many grown-ups like me that no icecream can replace.
As I was having plenty of oranges at home, I froze some orange juice to make this orange snow. Definitely does taste more flavorful than normal ice. I drizzled some homemade orange syrup, with condensed milk, and relived the moment.