Snowflake Ice Dessert

Snowflake Ice Dessert

　　　Snowflake ice dessert, also jokingly called "homemade ice cream," was an affordable treat that children from poorer families in the old society could buy. In winter, large blocks of floating ice from the Yongding River were cut out, wrapped in straw mats, and stored in cellars. In summer, these were taken out and shaved into fine ice fragments using a special ice scraper, then mixed with egg whites, hawthorn juice, and topped with candied fruits. At that time, ice cream had already appeared in China, but only the children of wealthy families could enjoy it. This "homemade ice cream" was more popular among children from less affluent households. Often, kids would beg and plead until their parents, unable to resist, bought them a bowl of snowflake ice dessert to be shared among seven or eight siblings.