In 1934, Ernest Hansen of New Orleans, Louisiana, decided to invent an alternative to the then popular Italian Ice desert. The result was the still-popular snow cone. Wikipedia.com cites Hansen as the inventor of the first &uot;ice block shaver&uot; and his wife as the creator of the first flavor syrups for the icy treat. His business still operates as &uot;Hansen’s Snow-Bliz&uot; in New Orleans.

As opposed to Italian Ice where the ice is flavored while the water is being frozen, snow cones are flavored after the ice is finely chopped.

Snow cones are not just popular in the United States. Many countries have also accepted this summer tradition. In Puerto Rico, they are called &uot;piragua&uot; for &uot;water pyramid,&uot; and in Mexico they go by &uot;raspedo&uot; for &uot;scratched ice.&uot;

In the Miss-Lou area, we also have confusion about the nomenclature of our favorite treat. Snow balls, snoballs, sno cones, and snow cones are all used interchangeably. But, what’s the difference? As Summer Snow Snoballs owner Anna Byrne said, &uot;There’s just no one right type of snowball.&uot;

The national favorite ice cream flavor is vanilla, and most people understand that. But, when it comes to our favorite snow cone flavor, there is much confusion.

Snow cone artist Matthew Hall, who works at the John R. Junkin stand, said that strawberry is &uot;pretty much a standard,&uot; but different people have different tastes. Different areas also seem to have different tastes in flavor.

While Byrne’s Natchez stand seemed to sell more strawberry, Vidalia’s snow cone stand artist Caitlin Huffines said &uot;sour apple tends to be a big favorite, and some people try something different every time.&uot;

Anna Byrne, however, thinks she has it figured out. &uot;Men always get grape,&uot; she said &uot;because they don’t want to try new things. It’s pretty much a standard.&uot; Age groups and work status have something to do with it, too, in her opinion. &uot;Working people like clear ones so it doesn’t mess up their teeth, and older people like Dreamsicle for the nostalgic flavor.&uot;

Snow cone stands’ workforce is made up of almost entirely high school students. When these students are asked what their summer job is, they undoubtedly get noses turned at them.

&uot;It’s a pretty shameless job,&uot; says Matthew Hall. &uot;People don’t understand that it’s actually hard work. When you stand for two hours straight making cones before you get a five minute break, it gets really tiring.&uot;

And this job isn’t just chop and pour, either. The combinations of flavors, amounts of flavor to add, and packing techniques are all things that have to be learned through experience.

Caitlin Huffines says that it took her &uot;one day&uot; to learn the tricks of the trade, but that &uot;it just took time to get used to it.&uot; But, Hall says &uot;after a while you learn to make a really good one. You learn to add a little something or take away a little something. The more you do it, the better you get.&uot;

Just like snow flakes, no two snow cone stands are the same. Flavor combinations are never the same. A &uot;titanic&uot; at one stand and one at another will probably be entirely different colors, so let’s not even talk about flavors.

Different stands also offer a variety of combination flavors tailored to different age groups or fan bases. Small children can get anything from a &uot;Harry Potter&uot; to a &uot;Spongebob&uot; to a &uot;Barney.&uot; Byrne says, &uot;kids usually go for the color. They don’t care how it tastes.&uot;

For sports fans, stands offer a variety of team flavors of area high schools and colleges. Everyone has a different opinion about the &uot;best&uot; flavor.

One answer that is generally accepted, however, is that to find the best flavor you have got to try them all. So before this summer fades to an end, go grab a snow cone and hug your favorite snow cone artist today.