One of my all time favorites,when fighting off the sweltering heat. When I pick up this chilling treat that will quench my thirst and satisfy my sweet tooth I can see why I have gained a few pounds in these months I have been here. The Filipino community is especially lucky to have and share a drink that doubles as a cold dessert: halo-halo is a Filipino dessert-drink that is part slushie and part sundae. Literally translated from Tagalog, halo-halo means “mix-mix”, and it is the perfect name for this distinctly delicious concoction. The basic foundation of halo-halo is shaved ice that is bathed with either evaporated milk or condensed milk. What differentiates this pairing from a snow cone is the inclusion of fruits (such as jackfruit, plantain, and coconut palm), beans (garbanzo, kidney, and red), and tapioca underneath the ice, as well as the leche flan (Filipino custard), pinipig (young crushed rice), and ube (purple yam) ice cream that is used to top the dessert. The ingr