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So much better than halo halo.

The first time I had shaved ice was in Taiwan. Shaved ice, lots of fresh mango, all drizzled with sweetened condensed milk. In oppressive heat, it's much more refreshing than ice cream. These days, manual ice shavers can be found in many of the Asian/Chinese supermarkets that carry housewares. I was so happy and surprised the first time I found one. Then I began to notice that most of my local (NYC) Asian-centric supermarkets carried them, I just hadn't been looking for them. They're usually hiding amongst the rice cookers. The manual one requires a lot of arm power, but it should only be about $20.

Being Korean myself, I was literally drooling at these photos. Yes, patbingsoo is another version of shaved ice seen all over Asia, but the paht (beans) and tteok/dduk are what make this Korean version stand out.

You won't find this dessert at a typical Korean restaurant. It's an event in itself and most people go out with friends to Korean cafe's or dessert spots to split a refreshing bowl. It's also difficult to find a place that has the right proportion of ice v toppings, which is why making this summer staple at home to your preferences is often the best way to go!

@djwerdna: I don't know where this type of dessert originated, but you're right, they are very common in the countries you mention, also in the southeast Asian countries (Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, etc.), including my own: Indonesia.

The 'canvas' is pretty much the same across all countries: a small hill of shaved ice drizzled with condensed milk. From that point on, the toppings are fair game. Each dessert and each country have their own distinctive combinations.

In Indonesia the most popular version is called 'Es Campur' (literally: Mixed Ice) and the toppings include cubes of black grass jelly, attap/aren fruit, slices of jackfruit, scoops of avocado, tape singkong (fermented cassava) and young coconut flesh. The sweetness is then enhanced by swirls of neon pink syrup! Happy mashing indeed :)

I'd love to try a bowl of patbingsu (extra mochi, please), I hope it's on the menu of Korean restaurants here!

I have never had the pleasure of enjoying one of these before. Now I must try one. A trip to the local Asian market is a must tomorrow.

Where did this originate? I've seen this dessert in Taiwan, Japan, and China.

My chinese grandma makes a wonderful hash with it. She chops it up, mixes it with ground pork, water chestnuts and soy sauce and steams it.

dropping the entire casserole on the oven door

As a kid, my best friend and I made sugar cookies. She read the ingredients as I incorporated them. She read off 1/4 cup of salt, I then asked her if she read that right because that was a lot of salt. She insisted she was correct and I added that amount in. Once the cookies had baked, we couldn;t wait to try them, we each took a bite and spit them out. She was wrong, it was 1/4 tsp salt!

My biggest success was baking my husband's favorite pie, a Lemon Meringue Pie. garrettsambo@aol.com

My most disasterous was when I was about 8 or 9, I deceided to make my mother a surprise cake. I got up about 4 in the morning and decided to make of all things a chiffon cake. Well it calls for lots of eggs and etc. When that cake came out it was flat as a pancake and I cried and cried, but my mother said it was the thought that counted, but she was not happy I had used so many eggs.

Oh, just pick me, I always enter and never win, but this book I REALLY want. I now live in the south (KY) and really need to show up my next door neighbor, she's just a little too cocky about her pies. And I'm telling you, they aren't that good. This old lady needs to be taken down a couple of notches!

My baking disaster was the time I made a red velvet cake and forgot to put in the baking powder. I ended up with a 1/2 inch thick red, tough cake. It didn't taste bad, but the texture was horrible.