DRIPPING SPRINGS BABBLE: DRIPPING FOOD: TROPICAL SNO SHAVED ICE (AND THE LATEST REPORT BY OUR MYSTERY DRIPPIN' DINER)

DRIPPING FOOD: TROPICAL SNO SHAVED ICE (AND THE LATEST REPORT BY OUR MYSTERY DRIPPIN' DINER)

Our Mystery Drippin' Diner has returned, and just in time for Thursday's projected high of 102. If you missed MDD's first report on Vallarta, read it here. MDD did not steer us wrong, and we've become regulars. It may be a while before wehear again from our enigmatic eater whose epicurean adventures oft fling our diner far, far beyond 290 & 12 but, just know, our vittles investigator will indeed be back and on the culinary prowl!

If you’ve never tried shaved ice, don’t think snow cone! They’re polar opposites, as in North and South, with only ice as a common denominator.

Shaved ice is pulverized until it’s almost invisible, while snow cone ice is crushed. And if you remember from your last state fair or snack bar at the beach, snow cone ice is crunched, crunched, crunched, eventually numbing your mouth and freezing your ocular nerves until your whole head throbs.

But shaved ice is a completely different story. It evaporates on contact! Think of that line, “just melts in your mouth,” but combine that experience with a cool refreshing taste that trickles down your throat with the delicious flavor of your choice. On our record-setting sizzling days of heat, shaved ice is a great way to chill.

At Tropical Sno Shaved Ice in Dripping Springs, you can select from more than 30 different flavors or combine them any which way you want. The most bizarre combo I’ve tried so far was Strawberry Colada and Honey Dew, and hmmm-mm, delicious!

Tropical Sno operates from an R.V., most frequently set up in front of Buddy Lewis’ Dripping Springs Rental Center at 299 Mercer Street. Knowing when to find the R.V. parked there is a guess, but the best bet is just to take a look outside. If it’s so sunny you’d be nuts to venture out without sunglasses, or so hot you want to stay home 'til after dark, the odds are in your favor that the R.V. will be parked there. You can also find it at special summer occasions in Drippin’, like parades and other regular celebrations.

If you’ve never tried shaved ice, don’t assume it’s just for kids. This Babbler is no spring chicken, and loves nothing better than a mid-afternoon tasty shaved refreshment.

Tropical Sno offers four sizes of shaved ice, ranging from 8 ounce to 20 ounce, priced from $2.00 to $4.00. The flavoring is sugary, but several sugar-free flavors are available as well for a few cents extra.

If you need a refreshing break from our record-smashing hot afternoons, think shaved ice, and you’ll be glad for the ice bite and cool dribble that follows.

Your Mystery Drippin’ Diner will be reporting next on other Drippin’ cuisineries, drinkeries, and iceries, including the best from our fast food franchises.