Treat of the Week: Pink Flamingo Sno-Balls

The humble sno-ball is the quintessence of refreshment: cold, wet, sweet, flavorful and colorful. Made of just ice and syrup, sno-balls are uncomplicated and unpretentious--a treat reduced to its essential elements.

Spoonfuls of tiny sugary ice chips melt between tongue and palate, leaving trails of marshmallow topping on the lips. Chop it. Slurp it. Stir it into a slurry.

Let it cool you from the inside out as you sit in the shade and contemplate the paradox of egg cream with no egg and no cream.

Karen Cain, owner of Pink Flamingo Sno-Balls on the 1000-block of Maiden Choice Lane in Arbutus, has one of the most pleasant jobs around, doling out dollops of cold relief to grateful, overheated customers.

If you want to see happy people, go to a sno-ball stand. It’s difficult to be in a foul mood while eating a sno-ball.

Starting at a buck, a sno-ball is a treat that can’t be beat.