lactose-free pineapple ice cream? C'est possible!

How can ice cream be lactose-free? And how can it be pineapple flavoured? I mean, there's ice cream that isn't made up of milk? And have food developers figured out how to deal with the enzymes in pineapples that break down milk proteins?

Apparently, Hawaiians have pineapple ice cream as a regular treat. So, I wanted to try this yummy dessert...  and I was particularly interested because I am lactose-intolerant. I finally got to taste this at the Dole Plantation in Wahiawa, Hawaii, in the heart of the island of O'ahu. 


And no, I didn't ride the choo-choo train to reach the ice cream shop. This train is intended for visitors who wanted to visit the plantation and to see the famous maze. For some reason, seeing the train in the context of pineapples reminded me of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, the film I first saw in Sydney and whose numerous scenes were shot in central Australia. 


I was quite worried that there might be a long queue for the ice cream at the shop because there were a lot of tour buses parked outside. True, the shop was packed, but many of them were checking out the boxed pineapple products and not the ice cream. It took me about five minutes to get it.


I am happy to report that the ice cream lived up to my expectations. It was so yummy!I was just surprised that it (along with any food served in America) came jumbo-sized. How was I supposed to finish this off in ten minutes before I had to leave again?!? Oh, and did I say that the day started off cold? I ended up shivering after chomping down on the ice cream!

As I found a spot to eat my ice cream outdoors, I passed by this gumball section. As everything else in the store, it's pineapple-flavoured! I just had to skip this, though, because I have been avoiding bubble gum for two decades now.


It was fun to be at the Dole Plantation. Too bad I was only there for a few minutes... just enough to literally get a taste and to want more. When I find myself in O'ahu again, I'll spend more time here... probably half a day. 

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