Tomato shaved ice with tomato jam, yoghurt, cereal with dried fruits and fresh tomatoes. (Full size, half size was also an option).
It’s hot. It’s humid. It’s summer.
There’s nothing like beating the summer heat with a nice treat.
It is my favorite season for more reasons than one. Should I name a few:
I was born and raised in a tropical country and I love tropical fruits…well, fruits in general.
I love the bright skies and beautiful weather at this time of year(except for the heat).
The season comes with an island vibe.
One word…BEACH.
Another word…HOLIDAYS.
Yes, during summer, I have the most holidays or days off from work. This gives me time to relax, rejuvenate and unwind with the family. We get to do little trips and try new stuff together. Talking about new stuff, I must share with you two treats that I tried for the very first time.
I had them on separate occasions but on both occasions, I was with my sons.
The Sign That Drew My Attention
Tomato shaved ice sign outside the restaurant.
Most restaurants and shops now offer shaved ice as a menu items. Popular flavors include strawberry, mango, melon and blue Hawaii. Matcha is a favorite and is sometimes topped with red bean paste. With the high temperatures that now abound, many are keen on “cooling down” with these kinds of treats. My sons and I are no exception. We were walking along, passed several shops but when I saw the above sign, I thought we had to stop. I had only heard about tomato shaved ice (called kakigori in Japanese). I had never eaten it. I got excited and couldn’t wait to try it. The boys were totally up against it. I told them that it was good to try something new. They reluctantly joined me.
Tomato Kakigori (Shaved Ice) Is Served
Half-size serving of tomato kakigori.
I ordered two, one full size and one half size of tomato kakigori. I found it interesting that they offered the “half” option. I should had asked how big the treats were. I gave one of my sons the half and planned to share the full sized one with other. That plan did not go well. One son barely tasted it and the other said he couldn’t even try it. I worked hard to convince them to have it but they just wouldn’t. They “weren’t having it”. Luckily, the server gave us warm tea and some traditional Japanese sweets. They were able to have those.
The Experience
The kakigori were beautiful. I took my first spoons and they were or seemed delicious. With each spoon, I tried to capture the ingredients. I tasted the yogurt, the cereal added some crunch, I had the fresh tomatoes and tasted the tomato jam.
With my boys resisting to have it, I had the challenge to complete at least one. It had a lot of tomato jam. It was on top and was embedded. It was quite a “healthy” treat but it was too much for me to handle. I love tomatoes but the jam felt like an overload.
The boys kept giggling but wouldn’t have a spoon. I had as much as I could feeling a bit embarrassed that we’d leave too much in the containers.
I was feeling more than cool with all the ice I had consumed. 😆
Listen To Your Kids
I’m now not sure where my boys stand in terms of consuming tomatoes. One usually loves tomatoes in his salads and he did well at growing mini tomatoes from our balcony this summer.
The other didn’t like tomatoes but started eating them because we grew them. Though a tomato kakigori isn’t the usual, I thought they’d at least have it though they had initially resisted. Did I spoil everything?
It was good to try something new but one thing I know for sure, I have enough tomatoes in my system. It will last a while. Fresh tomatoes, I’ll have but I don’t need another tomato kakigori. Just a taste of it would have been enough. The boys were pleased to say, “Mommy, I told you!”
Soft-cream
The second treat I’ll mention here is soft-cream. Again, I was with the boys. We had run some errands and it was humid. When the younger suggested that we got soft- cream, I thought it was an excellent idea. We got in line and decided on our flavors. My older son chose grape and the younger, soda. I wanted to try something different. I opted for sesame
seed. I love sesame seeds but couldn’t imagine the flavor of the cream. And so, I got it.
The Experience (Sesame Seed Soft-cream)
We quickly snapped our soft-cream before they melted. The boys started eating theirs. I could smell the grape and soda. I tasted mine. As soon as I did, I knew it would have been a challenge to complete it. I don’t know if I got the wrong scoop or the wrong flavor but there was this “earthy” taste that in an unkind way, grabbed my attention and taste buds through the entire eating process. Noticing my reaction, my younger son asked:
“Mommy, is it better than the tomato kakigori?”
I had to think hard to respond. My conclusion is, these are two summer treats I could have gone without.
Have you ever tried any of these treats? Please comment below.
If you are reading this and you love tomato shaved ice and sesame seed soft-cream, I respect you. If this is so for many people, I assume something was wrong with my taste buds or maybe a different combination of ingredients would have created a better experience for me.
To the servers of these treats, they were beautiful and the service was good. I respect you as well. Thank you for the chance to do something different, something unusual.
Have you ever had a treat or some food that you are comfortable NOT to try again? Please comment below.
Thank you for reading my post. Have a lovely day. 😃