Korean Ice Cream
A Most Interesting Year π·
This year sure has been a strange one and this summer's been especially strange. At the beginning of the year, I moved to a chillier country (Hi Canada) and wasn't able to experience the happy outdoor life that summer offers. No picnics, no beach days, no festivals or fairs. I was told the area really "comes alive" in the summer, but this year most of us just stayed indoors. That being said, I'm an indoor kid at heart and it's given me the opportunity to work on a lot of artwork and reminisce of summers past where I could buy ice cream and stroll down the sidewalk without fear.I've especially been thinking about my time spent in South Korea, hitting up all the Ice Cream Story* stores and stocking my freezer with classic favorites and soon to be favorites. I've been told that giving me ice cream brings me out of my lowest of lows and I've embraced that fact.*A lot of retail places in Korea have "Story" at the end of their store name: Ice Cream Story, Beer Story... I'm not exactly sure why they're called this but I love it.
Melon Ice Cream?! π
One of my favorite Korean ice cream bars is the Melona Bar (λ©λ‘λ). It's a melon-flavored treat that's a sort of popsicle/ice cream hybrid. It's melty and creamy but fresh and fruity. It has an iconic appearance, a green rectangular block (which I just read is called cuboid π€― ) on a stick. In Korea, I've seen it on stationery and other food products. Right before I left, I saw a melon-flavored milk drink that came in a plastic version of the cuboid (see below).
The melon flavor is the classic one, but the company makes others too: strawberry, mango, coconut, banana. I saw the different flavors all around Asia while I was traveling, but the melon flavor still melts my heart.
A Watermelon Slice on a Stick π
Another favorite of mine is the Subak Bar (μλ° λ°). Subak means watermelon in Korean, and this bar tastes and looks just like that. It's a creamy triangular treat with pink on top and green on the bottom like a real slice of watermelon. It even has little "seeds" that are chocolate!I'll be honest, this one took me a little bit to try but I would buy the gummy candy version of them all the time. My students really loved them though and often when we'd talk about liking ice cream, this was the one they'd want me to draw on the board.
A Mountain of Goodness π§
Bingsu (λΉμ) is a shaved ice dessert that can come with a variety of toppings. The original kind is Patbingsu (ν₯λΉμ), which is topped with red beans but I personally prefer the ones with fruit. It took me a while to try bingsu in Korea. They're big and they're pricey (about ~$8-10) each. When I finally did, it was a chocolate-centric one and it was delicious! I learned that they're best shared, and I've since had a few different kinds. My favorite was one in my old neighborhood and it was mango and cheesecake. Mmmmm! ~
Some other interesting icy treats:
Jaws (μ£ μ€ λ°) - this popsicle is shaped like a shark π¦ and has strawberry filling. They're tasty but i had a bad experience with one once when I ate it too quickly out of the freezer and got my tongue stuck to it a la A Christmas Story. π± Even though Jaws is one of my favorite movies, I didn't get one again..
Chal Oksusu (μ°°μ₯μμ) - Oksusu is corn π½ in Korean and this treat looks exactly like a corn cob! It has a thin wafery outside with corn flavored ice cream and chocolate. Not my fav, but not bad!
Megaton (λ©κ°ν€) - A solid block of caramel ice cream. It's sweet and rich and soo good.What's wonderful about most of these ice cream treats is that they're usually about β©800-1500 (about $0.68 - $1.02) which is pretty unheard of in North America, so you can stuck up your fridge without any financial guilt! πIf you spot any of these desserts in your local asian grocery store or Koreatown, I'd highly recommend giving them a try!
I'll leave you with these K-Pop songs about bingsu.