Just For You

You can add Sno-Balls or Sno-Cones to the list of things uniquely Baltimore if you have not already. The coarse crushed ice flavored by a variety of syrups are apparently unknown to people beyond the Baltimore Metro. I share fond memories of this summer treat with most of my friends, and I have enjoyed them many times; it was a surprise for me to learn how local they really were.

I came to this discovery this afternoon when just after lunch my mind turned to dessert. A hot and humid day in Washington DC, and so I thought immediately of the crushed ice heat reliever, the Sno-Cone. I asked my work mates and was shocked to receive quizzical looks and strange responses.

I described the Sno-Cone to them but most thought instead of Italian Ice or Shaved Ice or even Water Ice. None of which are a Sno-Cone. The deeper I dug the more I realised my work mates had no clue what I was talking about, but to be fair I was dealing with a Nevadian and a New Yorker. The Pennsylvanian, from Lebanon, PA just North of Baltimore, knew what I was talking about, but had not had any since moving south.

I decided I needed a local to help me. I contacted three native DCians and Northern Virginians. Of these, one had no idea what I was talking about while the other two could not name a stand anywhere in the area.

I then called my ace in DC. A man who, while not a native, has been ensconced in the city for many years. He is a man of fine urbane taste and great urban knowledge. If anyone knew of and knew where to obtain a Sno-Cone it was he. His response to my query was typical of the persons I have met in Washington DC. He said to me, "I don't know about any Sno-Balls, but what you should have is an Argentinian Gelato."

I will one day have an Argentinian Gelato, hopefully one day soon. I am sure they are delicious, but they are still not a Sno-Cone.