While roaming the street markets of Chiang Mai, we chanced upon a number of visually intriguing, though not altogether appetizing, treats. I am a bit squeamish when it comes to food sold by vendors whose cleanliness standards might not match mine. Yet Abby and Eve were brave enough to order ice creams from Scoopy Cool whose motto is "Once is not enough." Not sure I agree. In terms of taste, the flavors and consistency of the frozen confection were better than expected. However, the sight of the serving spoon diving into a pot of murky water between scoops turned my stomach just a bit. Here are some of the other highlights with commentary:
Individual candies on tooth picks. Very artful display. Takes advantage of the shadowy light conditions. Nice array of colors. Not sure how long they had been standing there. Never saw anyone buy or eat one.
Colorful squares of unknown gelatinous substance. Pretty to look at but zero desire to eat. Mysterious fruit flavors. Questionable hygiene conditions.
The name, Ancient Ice Cream, is not very confidence instilling. What exactly do they mean by "ancient"?
The rectilinear blocks of colorful ice creams are attractive (if you don't look too close) and their orderly arrangement speaks to my love of geometric order.
And my personal favorite: vegetable jelly eaten with sugar. Maybe it is REALLY healthy.
Let's hope so. There had to be some reason that the locals were descending on this stall in droves. In response, the little lady behind the counter was busily scraping her spoon across the quivering mass and depositing the resultant ribbons of black goo into take-away dishes.
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