#68: Try every flavor snowball.

UPDATED 7/1/11 TO INCLUDE FLAVOR LIST AND OPINIONS!

Snowballs are way more enjoyable in the summer heat than in the dead of winter.

#68: Try every flavor snowball.

The backstory: Every summer, as I have mentioned in previous posts, I spend a fair amount of time at my Aunt Leah's house in Maryland. I spend most of that time babysitting or working on my many various school assignments and personal projects. On scorching August days when the outdoor inferno drains my sweat glands, I often opt to take the kids to the local snow cone (or, as the treat is lovingly called in Maryland, "snowball") stand for an juicy, frosty defibrillator. This serves both as a refresher for the kids and I after long days in the sun and as a pacifier to prevent them (and, in all fairness, also me) from whining and acting out as a result of their (err... OUR) delirious heat-exhausted brains.

The stand has thirty-some flavors available for customers' enjoyment. One day, when the whole family (my mom, grandparents, aunt, uncle, three cousins and I) went to the stand, I had a very difficult time deciding what flavor to choose. Should I go for spicy cinammon "Fireball" or light delicious "Ice Cream Flavor"? Would I be better off with sour "Lemon Frost" or something sweeter, like "Cotton Candy"? And what the heck are "Skylite" and "Egg Custard"? (Is it really a frothy pudding-like concoction made of chicken yolks or am I reading too far into the implication of the name "Egg Custard"?) Or should I mix flavors? And should I get marshmallow fluff on top or in the middle? Or both? Or not at all? So many choices, so little shaved ice!

That's when it hit me. In the immediate family ring, I had nine hungry, hungry hippos who were ready to devour snowballs. Even if they didn't come with me every time I visited the stand, I would always at least have my cousins with me which would mean I could get up to four flavors each time. If we each tried new flavors and took small spoonfuls of each others' cups of frozen goodness each time we went, we could all get a taste of every flavor on the syrup menu. Thus, it would not be too difficult to try every flavor snowball by the end of the summer. That way, the next time I visited the stand, I would have a good idea as to what my flavor options really were and what I would be in the mood for.

So, without further ado, here are my opinions on all 28 flavors offered:

-Cherry: Pretty much your standard cherry flavor. Sweet, but my body has trouble processing red dye so I probably would never order it.

-Strawberry: I LOVE strawberries, but I'm not big on strawberry-flavored things (fruit snacks, lollipops, etc.) Consequently, this one was not my favorite but that doesn't mean it wasn't still tasty.

-Red raspberry: I hesitate to try raspberry-flavored things because I really don't like sour tastes, but this was surprisingly light and sweet while still maintaining the tang you'd expect from raspberry flavor.

-Watermelon: Too artificial. Watermelon is one of my favorite fruits and as of yet I have not found a single artificial watermelon flavoring that has lived up to that taste of a fresh, well-textured piece of melon dripping with sweet watery goodness.

-Fireball: Disappointed me. I love cinnamon. Cinnamon buns are my favorite breakfast treat (believe it or not... haha! See the post about the Blue Moon Cafe.) and Big Red is one of my favorite chewing gum brands. Nonetheless, the spicy with the icy tasted more like liquid pepper juice than a flaming ball of WOW to tingle my taste buds.

-Bubble gum: Didn't taste like bubble gum, but still tasted delicious!

-Cotton Candy: Nostalgic for me as cotton candy used to be my favorite flavor water ice when I was a kid, so I'd definitely get it again but my tastes have matured.

-Almond: Surprisingly, this was the flavor I was most afraid to try and I was actually impressed with it. Sure, it wasn't my cup of tea, but it was actually very light and sweet which I enjoyed (even though I only took a really small nibble of it!)

-Egg Custard: I know. It sounds gross. I was put off at first too, but my aunt and uncle SWORE it is a Maryland tradition and that I'd like it, and you know what? I actually loved it. It was one of my favorite flavors on the menu and I have since ordered it numerous times.

-Orange Frost: Surprisingly enough, I did not like this. It tasted like orange juice concentrate poured over the snowball. I love oranges, but this was much too artificial and overpowering for me to actually appreciate it. Major let down. I don't recommend it.

-Lemon Frost: Same as Orange Frost, unfortunately. My mom swore it was just Country Time brand lemonade mix swirled into the crushed ice.

-Mango: I'm usually not the world's biggest fan of tropical fruits, but this was actually juicy and yummy, so much so that I would actually order it for myself sometime.

-Pineapple: Very good. Not as... intense?... of a flavor as I was expecting, but good nonetheless.

-Banana: It tasted like banana alright. There are people in this world who love bananas and people who hate them. I have rarely come across someone who falls in the middle. I personally love them, as does most of my family, but if you're not and bananamaniac then I would avoid this like the plague.

-Peach: Very impressive... made me feel like I was biting into a big juicy peach when I ate it. Recommended.

-Lime: I love lime flavored treats (although I actually don't like real limes. Strange?) As a result, I loved the lime flavor, although my mom did not.

-Spearmint: DELICIOUS. AMAZING. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Very refreshing... especially good with marshmallow. If you want more mint flavor, then get the marshmallow in the middle because they give an extra squirt, but if you want a more balanced flavor then I'd get the marshmallow on top. (Can you tell it's my standard order? Haha!)

-Honeydew: NOT GOOD. Do not order. I love honeydew melons, but this was just a very odd flavor. I don't even know how to describe it. Two thumbs down.

-Green apple: YUMMY YUMMY YUMMY!

-Skylight: Oddly fruity and good. I don't think I'd get it for myself, but it's one of my cousins' favorites. (I think it's more because of the blue color than anything; it is the only blue-colored flavor.)

-Grape: Much too watery for my taste. I like sweet grape flavors, but this was actually a little sour and bitter. Not my favorite even though I usually love grape flavor. Disappointment.

-Black raspberry: I actually don't remember this one, but I feel like it packed a heavier punch than the red raspberry did.

-Ice Cream Flavor: Yes, that's right. They have an ice cream flavored snowball. They sell ice cream at the stand too, so for the life of me I can't decipher why you wouldn't just buy ice cream if that's what you're craving, but suit yourselves. If you've ever been to a Coldstone Creamery, then you'll understand this reference... This is the sweet cream of snowball flavors.

-Coconut: I despise coconut flavor, so I'm biased, but BLECH. Not good.

-Chocolate: Literally just Hershey's Syrup poured on top of crushed ice. Delicious? You bet your peppermint patty.

-Vanilla: One of my favorites on the list. Like baby bear; not too sweet, not too mild, but just right. Two thumbs way up.

-Root Beer: All I could think about while I ate it was that Spongebob episode when Plankton's extended family comes and demands (with their heavy southern accents) root beer from the Krusty Krab. I'm a dork. =P

-Kola: Why is it spelled with a K here? I don't know, my best friend forever Jill. Anyway, I thought I'd like it but it turns out soda tastes weird when it's not carbonated. Another disappointment (although sometime I want to mix this with cherry and have a Cherry Cola (or Cherry Kola... or Kherry Kola, or Kcherry Kcola or however this stand wants to spell it) snowball.

So there you go. This is what I do at 1:15 AM at my aunt's house when I can't fall asleep. I go onto my blog and reminisce about all the unhealthy things I've filtered through my kidneys over the past year. No, but really, heed my warnings if you're ever ordering a snowball. Trust me. I know what I'm talking about. After all, I'm an expert; I HAVE tried every flavor, y'know!