Ice Cream in the Rainforest

I’ve shared the story about my second favorite birthday. This story is a story within that story.

Prepare yourself.

Now if you remember, I shared about the drive into the Daintree Rainforest in Queensland, Australia. What I didn’t tell you about was the drive back to our place after zip lining through the trees.

Not that there’s much more to describe. The same twisty turny craziness as before. Only this time involved ice cream.

After staring into thick green jungle for a half an hour, the road reached a sugar cane farm, with a small field cleared out. From the road, signs advertised ice cream in the shack-like building that stood in the clearing.

It was my 15th birthday. Stopping for ice cream only made sense.

I was all too eager to get out of the car. The hot and damp air wrapped itself around my body and made a perfect atmosphere for wanting needing ice cream.

We stepped up to the window where the young lady was taking orders. On the wall next to the window were four flavors:

Macadamia
Black Sapole
Wattleseed
Mango

Being a picky eater, I recoiled at these flavors and reluctantly ordered mango.

“You get all of them” the lady said, slightly annoyed.

Confused, I muttered an “oh, okay” and looked up at my mom for help.

She ordered one large cup, which *apparently* came with all four flavors. There was no choosing. You got what you got.

A weird concept for Americans.

We all sat down at a picnic table. I was disappointed I wouldn’t be eating any ice cream. I wasn’t about to put wattleseed in my mouth. What even was that?

But then it got hot.

My mom and brother seemed to be enjoying their treat, so I slapped on my big-girl tastebuds and dove in, leading with the least threatening flavor- Mango.

It was good. Refreshing. Fruity.

Next I tried macadamia. Loved it. Creamy with a nutty flavor.

I went in for the wattleseed. What do you know- it had kind of a coffee flavor. Surprising!

Black sapole. The most un-desserty-sounding thing I’d ever encountered. I put a spoonful in my mouth expecting it to taste like death. Instead, it tasted like a mild, creamy chocolate. Later, I’ll learn that this fruit is also known as the chocolate pudding fruit.

Photo by Alesh Houdek on flickr

That stop in the middle of the rainforest was probably some of the best ice cream I’ve had in my life. And it started me on my journey towards being okay with trying new foods!

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What strange and exotic foods have you tried?