The Unofficial Cook

I was at Hi-Top Supermarket along Quezon Avenue in Quezon City with Eldest and Youngest Sisters, the Father, the Spouse, the Nephews and Eldest Sister’s Youngest Daughter on Maundy Thursday. Hi-Top is one of my old stomping grounds and I’ll write more about it when I have a photo to go with the post. For now, take a look at the ice cream photo here. Have you seen a greener ice cream?! If you’re Filipino, you’d probably answer in the affirmative. We’ve all had Avocado Ice Cream after all. Yes, you read right - Avocado Ice Cream.

I was looking at Hi-Top’s selection of ice creams and found it very interesting indeed. They have more flavors and brands, including Häagen Dazs and what I thought was no longer manufactured, Magnolia Ice Cream! I actually have to check on that info again on my next visit because I still can’t believe it.

Their selection from Arce Dairy was also very interesting, they had more flavors than I’ve seen anywhere. I picked up a half-gallon of their Green Tea Ice Cream just for kicks. I’ve read about all sorts of things flavored with Green Tea and even tried a green tea ice cream in some Japanese restaurant years ago. I was not very impressed and wondered what all the fuss was about. Could Arce Dairy do it better perhaps?

No one can, not for me anyway. Eating this ice cream was like eating through a Lipton tea bag! The texture was not smooth, it felt like there was this fine powder all throughout what should’ve been creamy goodness.

Then Spouse, who lived in Japan a few years, tells me that this ice cream reminded him of the free green tea from green tea vending machines along Japanese toll highway stops. The machine apparently spits out hot water into a cup and follows it with another of powdered green tea. You then mix it with a wooden spoon, but the powdery green tea leaves remains and leaves a fine grittiness in your mouth. So this wasn’t all alien to him.

But it was to me. I just didn’t take to it. Some people will like it I’m sure. I’m more of an Earl Grey hot tea person I guess.

And the color was just a complete turn-off. Seriously, I’ve never seen green tea THAT green ever. Spouse and I were having a lot of laughs about it while we were eating and exchanging big, green toothy smiles.

A little lighter on the green and I probably would take this ice cream more seriously.