If the astronauts could eat something akin to "real" ice cream, they'd be eating "Coolish". The concept is ice milk that you squeeze up and eat out of a tube, because we like our ice cream eating experiences to resemble things like dispensing toothpaste or hemorrhoid cream. The package is a plastic-coated foil packet which houses some ice milk. You can't eat it immediately out of the freezer, but rather have to let it sit for awhile or warm it with your hands. It won't come out through the tube at the top unless it has thawed a bit.
The ice milk itself has little bits of ice crystals in it and has a texture which is more akin to kakigori with cream or ice cream on it than pure ice milk or ice cream. Kakigori is Japanese shaved ice, which is quite popular in summer and is sold in various presentations. The ice crystals add a unique textural dimension, and I liked it, but some may find it distracting.
Yes, that's a very attractive delivery system.
The taste is of strong vanilla and it's quite sweet. It's actually quite delicious, though I doubt that it is coming from real vanilla beans. It's also only 152 calories, which is on the lower side for ice milk. I'm guessing this has to do with the way it is cut with ice crystals. This is a low-end product and sells for 100 yen (about $1.24) for a 140-ml. portion (around a 3/4 cup serving). Real ice cream in Japan tends to cost 3 times as much.
The only problem that I had with this was that it gets softer and softer at the end and unless you're sure to have the tube right in your mouth every moment you're squeezing the packet, it'll surprise you and squirt out on your shirt or pants. Well, that's what it did to me. Also, frankly, suckling on the tube feels a bit weird. I think this is supposed to be similar to a lot of sports drinks in Japan in terms of the experience of consuming it. If you're walking around on a hot day (something that happens a lot right now), this is probably a convenient way to enjoy a very cold snack, but it still makes me feel like I'm still on the bottle. That being said, I'd buy this again as long as I could consume it at home.
11 comments:
LOL, I enjoy your metaphors for Coolish here. I wonder, if you say that it's good to eat on a hot day, wouldn't it melt? And I suppose it would taste like a sort of condensed milk o:
Fortunately, it doesn't taste like condensed milk (which I'm not a fan of), but rather like vanilla ice cream.
It actually needs to melt a little to allow it to be squeezed out of the packet.
Thanks for your comment! :-)
It's actually a very easy way for little kids to eat this kind of treat without getting it all over themselves and making a huge mess.
Most little kids (and people in general) have better manual dexterity than me and are less clumsy, so that doesn't surprise me at all!
Is this sold pre-frozen, or in the candy section?
It's in the freezer case with single-serving ice cream offerings. :-)
Oh, Coolish is wonderful. I actually like that delivery system and usually polish it off in a couple slurps. It reminds me of Capri Sun!
I loved Coolish on my trip to Tokyo last week. Is this available anywhere in the States I wonder? Maybe something else similar?
Sorry, Ryder, but I don't know any place in America where one can get them at this time.
I'll let you know if I ever find out!
Just came back from Japan.
It was quite delish and very stylish without being foolish to get a Coolish...
My daughter ...and i loved that stuff. And made rhymes.
Just been to Japan a few weeks ago and tried their Coolish. Not bad at all. Liked the chocolate flavour best. And I have just discovered where I can buy it in Australia. There is a small Japanese grocery store in Alderley, Brisbane in Queensland that stocks it. The only place in Queensland that you can get it I believe. So naturally I had to go and get me some. Yum!
Post a Comment