Most of you who know me know that I keep pretty tight reigns on what my kids eat. But when we are on vacation, I always try to loosen up a bit and let some stuff slip by. Hawaiian Shave Ice is about as far as I will go. Basically, it is a block of ice shaved down and packed into a ball with artificially colored/flavored syrup poured over the top. The kids love it, and as you can tell by the pictures, so does their Opa. Every year, when we visit Hawaii, we make a trip to Haliewa on the North Shore of Oahu. It is a quaint little town with great cafes, surf shops, and of course shave ice. The M. Matsumoto Grocery Store is the scene of the crime. The line is out the doors and everyone is ready to indulge in this local favorite. The market has been open since 1951 and was founded by Mamoru Matsumoto (7/11/08-5/11/94) and Helen Momoyo (7/22/11-3/11/89) and is still a family run operation. On a daily basis, they make 1,000 shave ice. For about a month prior to our trip, the kids start talking about the shave ice and it appears no one was disappointed.
pick your flavor and add a scoop of ice cream under the ice if you please |
pour the homemade syrup over the top |
the finished product, cherry-lime |
getting some sweet hawaiian love |
happy grandkids and their Opa |