NOLA Summer Snowball Tour 2014: Chubba's

          Now that the temperatures in the Greater New Orleans area have settled into the 90s with nearly 100% humidity, it’s time for the return of that NOLA summer staple: the snowball. Before I get into my latest adventure with this culinary marvel, let’s recap some of the important features of the snowball.

 

The first snowballs of the summer!

          First off, never confuse a snowball with a snowcone. They are VASTLY different things. One is a godsend after a day out in the Louisiana sun. The other is a godless abomination. The difference lies in the ice. Snowballs are made with shaved ice; snowcones are made with chipped ice. Shaved ice absorbs the flavor of the syrup while melting slowly in your mouth. Trying to eat chipped ice sends cold chills down your spine.

 

Ieuan knows what a good snowball tastes like. 

          Second, there are 3 commandments to a good snowball. Stands that violate them do not deserve your patronage. The 1^st commandment: no crunchy ice. As mentioned above, crunchy ice is what you find in a snowcone. The 2^nd commandment: the syrup should cover all of the ice, infusing it with flavorful goodness. The 3^rd commandment: the syrup must have a strong flavor. It should be thick and rich. You’re eating shaved ice and sugar; the stand shouldn’t try and hide that.  

 

Keep the Frack out of my water. 

          On Saturday, my family and I went to “Frackstock,” an anti-fracking event at the Covington, Louisiana trailhead. The state is currently considering allowing the environmentally destructive practice of hydraulic fracking in St. Tammany Parish. As a gift to the people who turned out for the rally, the Chubba’s Snowball truck handed out free snowballs. The stand moves around to different events, but has its home on Highway 190 outside of Covington.

 

Chubba's Stand 

          Due to the heat and not wanting to risk a bad snowball, we made safe selections. I ordered a Dreamsicle snowball. Liz had her usual, a Nectar snowball with condensed milk. Ieuan got a cherry one. Considering the fact that they were free, the snowballs were surprisingly good. And most importantly there were no violations of the 3 snowball commandments. Chubba’s shaved the ice well. It was soft, but with a satisfying crunch. The syrup, most likely from SnoWizard—the syrup supplier to most GNO snowball stands—had good flavor and generously covered the entire snowball. They melted at a good pace, not too fast so that the snowballs became soupy, but just quickly enough to enjoy nice syrupy sips.

 

James's face says it all. 

Considering we had spent the morning at the beach and then at Frackstock, Chubba’s Snowballs hit the spot. All in all, it was a good start to the summer snowball season.