Snow Ice~Hula Boba

In May 2007 I was fortunate to spend a few weeks in Taiwan for a "Biodiversity" program in Taiwan. It was jam-packed educational trip filled with visits to tea farms, National forests, wetlands, etc.
One of the activities that we participated in was having our student buddies take us out to the Night Markets. During that outing, I was introduced to Taiwanese delicacies like "Stinky Tofu" and "Pig's Blood" and like a diligent student, I tried all these items. Hey, my food philosophy is "I'll try anything once, maybe even twice." Anyways, the best thing at the night markets was this shave ice that was not ordinary shave ice. Instead of shaving a block of plain ice, snow ice is shaved from a block of flavored ice. Yes, the ice is a milky ice cake.
While at home this past year, my mom had a coupon for snow ice at Hula Boba. Initially we were planning on ordering bubble tea, but I became quite excited when I spoke to the employee about the definition of "snow ice." We were talking for a bit and she told me that the snow ice originated from Taiwan.

This is what I ordered. Snow Ice with taro and red beans. Yes, I love carbs! I also think that the ultimate shave ice have ice cream, azuki beans, and mochi balls. This is the one we ordered for my dad. Snow ice with strawberries and lychee. Normally, a fruit topping (expecially lychee) would be my first choice, but in the case of this shop, I prefer to stay away from the fruits. This is because the fruits are swimming in a sugar syrup and are not fresh fruit. Plus the lychee is like those gelatin-like cube pieces that were once found in those mini-jellies that were the craze back in 2000.
Don't get me wrong, I really like this place and I hope this little shop remains open. From what my mom tells me, my dad goes to this place a few times a week. Stop by and check out this place if you want a Taiwanese-style dessert without having to travel all the way there. I forgot how much it costs, but I think it's like $3-4 for a decent-sized cup. It's definitely worth it!

Hula Boba
65 North Pauahi Street (kind of across the street from Char Hung Sut)
Honolulu, HI 96817
(808) 521-5213