Who Knew The Joy of My Ancestors Was Under The Shaved Ice?

Where my parents were born, it’s hot all year ‘round. You just get hot rain or hot sunshine. Maybe the occasional typhoon. Either way, they get to eat “summer” food any time of the year. They also eat dinner for breakfast pretty often, which I am still trying to convince my friends is better than breakfast for dinner. I’d choose adobo fried rice over a yogurt parfait any morning.

My brother Jurell, my sibling Ale and I have been connecting with our roots in various different ways—Jurell through spirituality, Ale through plant medicines, and myself through nature. As magkapatid (siblings), our common thread is that we’ve all had the easy realization that food is the most fun experience. We’ll never argue about having a freshly prepared meal from our Nanay (mother). Recently, we have reignited our love for a childhood favorite: halo halo. It’s pronounced hah-lŏ hah-lŏ, not haylow haylow. Or, if you’re like my 2-year-old niece Ava, it’s called “how-whoa how-whoa”.

“What’s in it?!” My friends always ask curiously. I can understand why they scrunch their brows and nose in a look of distaste when I attempt to explain. It can sound really unappealing. Unusual for some, I suppose. Perhaps too many ingredients, especially for a dessert. But against all odds, for me, there is still nothing better on a hot summer day than a colorful glass filled with fresh shaved ice, topped with preserved white beans, adzuki beans, and green kaong (palm seeds). Layered with bright red agar-agar, the golden yellow of langka (jackfruit) preserved in syrup, long shavings of silky coconut and ube halaya (purple yam jam). To add the icing to the cake, as the phrase goes, add a piece of leche flan, and a scoop of ube ice cream. You can even add any other flavors of ice cream to your liking too. In my family, we like to add pandan ice cream, which sadly, most people have not had the opportunity to try. Oh, and last but not least, don’t forget to drizzle condensed milk on top. It’s never the same depending on who makes it for you—sometimes with sweet corn or mango, or cherries on top—but it’s comforting and delicious in any way shape or form.

The joy of halo halo is in the fact that you never eat it alone. I have fond childhood memories of laying on the floor mat in my tita’s living room. My tito would turn up the TV volume so he could hear it over the ice shaving machine. I feel lucky that I am old enough to remember the days when my parents froze a single large block of ice and then shaved it by hand. My Tatay (father) would set the ice block on a kitchen towel on the floor, and literally get down on his hands and knees to shave it. We would make a cup for each family member at the party and pass it down an assembly line around the table. There is typically someone who get the task of chasing the kids down with a cup if they are playing games in the yard. At times, it can be saddening to know that my nieces and nephews or even my own children will not know memories like these. I know they will have their own beautiful memories of sitting on Lola’s or Lolo’s lap eating a heaping spoonful of ube ice cream and coconut and kaong, but there is something unmatched about seeing how hard people are willing to work for a deliciously sweet and creamy taste of home.

I like to think of halo halo as a metaphor for family. It looks great when it’s all dressed up in that hurricane glass, but when you take a closer look, it’s quite complex. There are many different colors, textures, and flavors—some you might expect to be paired together, and others you might not. You hesitate to try it for the first time because you’re not sure if you should just admire it from afar or mix up some chaos in that cup. But if you trust all those who came before you who know and love it, you’ll take it all in, enjoy it and get to the bottom of that cup in no time. You’ll have a full belly and a smile across your face. And when you look to your left and to your right, I bet the rest of your family, ancestors included, will be right there next to you doing the exact same thing.