Ever on the lookout for “weird” food I came upon a shop in Indio, California specializing in raspados.  Menu all in Spanish.  No accommodation for gringos whatsoever.  So I had to order one, right?  Raspados, it turns out are nothing more than shaved ice with some sort of syrup on it and, in many cases, are not especially exotic, say a strawberry one topped with strawberries.  But then there are the ones that are muy mexicanos, such as the one I ordered.  Topped with mango, salty tamarind candy and chili it was  sweet, salty from the tamarind candy, and a little spicy from the chili powder.  The flavors careening all over the place: a bite of ice, a chewy salty morsel of the candy, the refreshing mango and the earthy chili.  Would I order it again?  Probably not, the flavor profile just doesn’t do it for me.  But I’m glad I tried it!