In a Walmart store in Greeley CO the other day, I spotted a display rack of packaged cakey things, containing a shelf of these small bags labelled ‘Snowballs’.
I immediately remembered the snowballs of my childhood. Those were round balls of lovely soft white marshmallow, coated in good chocolate and rolled in dessicated coconut. They were sold loose and priced individually, generally placed 1-3 at a time into small white (lolly) bags. I don’t remember any shop assistant using tongs to do this – and in those dreadful 50s no one had heard of food handlers using latex gloves for food handling – so it’s a wonder we survived. At one time Mum said we couldn’t have them for a while because there was a shortage of coconut and manufacturers couldn’t make them – something about workers in the production area – New Guinea perhaps? having some bad germs that would make us sick, was how she explained it. We were so glad to see them back on the market again.
To me a snowball in a little white bag was a special weekly treat from the corner shop on Park Street, opposite what was then The Launceston High School. I don’t remember exactly why Mum or Dad stopped there. As we were left out in the family car, I guess a snowball each was our reward for sitting quietly and waiting. I associate all this with the black Ford Prefect upholstered in tan leather and fitted with interior roller blinds on all back windows – but I’m not sure why a car would have blinds !!!
In the googler I found lots of recipes to make snowballs, but no one in our family ever did make them, and I wouldn’t bother, as I’m sure there’s a little of ‘Commercially Secret Ingredient X’ which no home cook could ever replicate exactly.
Snowballs are still obtainable in Australia, though these days they come in bags, such as Cadbury’s 175gm bag available in Woolies and no doubt other supermarkets.
It is comforting to know that, in this rapidly changing world, if I were in Aus at this moment, I could still enjoy ‘proper’ snowballs and other timeless confectionary such as Gourlay’s acid drops and the legendary Jaffas; I could create a pencil-like point by twirling a musk stick between my puckered lips, and suck mint leaves to the ultra thin point of disappearance; or as I recently did, easily rip out a filling while chewing a Fantale. Most of these things are now pre-packaged, though, and the lolly section of the local corner store rarely stocks boxes of unwrapped sweets from which the customer chooses, pays for and takes away in those little white bags.
But back to those green snowballs ? The label listed chocolate cake coated with (bright green) marshmallow and coconut. On closer inspection I saw a leprechaun’s hat and what looks like a clover leaf; and then it dawned on me this has something to do with St. Patrick’s Day which I vaguely remember comes around at this time of year. Sure enough, the googler says it’s next sunday, March 17th. What on earth connection do ‘snowballs’ of any colour have to do with this date? Many things in the USA are impossible to comprehend on any level other than ‘marketing theme’, and this one’s clearly caught on like many other, obvious, ones I won’t list here ?
So, will you be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day next weekend? If S.P.D. is a thing for you, eat up those green snow balls while they last ? as I’m sure they’re available everywhere; and enjoy your green beer next sunday!