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Lately it seems that food crazes have taken the Kuwaiti population by storm. First it was anything claiming to be low fat or diet-friendly, then it was the endless list of cupcake businesses that had magically sprouted from nowhere; now there’s a new sheriff in town, and his name is Frozen Yogurt. Eating KDD and Baskin Robbins out of house and home (no pun intended), Pinkberry is a to-the-point frozen yogurt joint that had made it’s way from West Hollywood, CA to a corner in Phase II of the Avenues mall in Kuwait.
Though the thought of frozen yogurt has no appeal to me whatsoever, I decided to give it a try so I could put an end to all the fuss that was being made over it by my friends. I was greeted by a long line of customers waiting for their order, and thought ‘Hey, this must really be something special!’, but then I realized that anything to do with food in Kuwait is special, and even more so since it’s come all the way from trendy California! However, Pinkberry’s selling point is that it’s non-fat or low-fat, depending on the flavor. In Kuwaiti terms, that means you can eat yourself silly and not have to worry about going to the gym afterwards – score!
The line moved fast, which in any business must mean their service is fast and efficient. To my surprise and dismay, it was because there were so few flavors to choose from that you really didn’t need more than 10 seconds to think about what you wanted to have; it was either the Original, Green Tea, or Pomegranate flavored frozen yogurt.
I went for the Green Tea flavored frozen yogurt, simply because I am a huge fan of green-tea-anything. I have tried green tea flavored ice creams, gelatos, and popsicles, and frozen yogurt was next on the list. To kick the flavor up a few notches were the arrays of fresh fruits and berries, coconut shavings, nuts, and other toppings you can add to your frozen yogurt. I couldn’t think of a better topping that would go with green tea frozen yogurt than fresh berries. Luckily, your first four toppings come free of charge, so I went with raspberries, blueberries, blackberries (another Kuwaiti trend, not so much eaten but used, pun intended), and strawberries.
First impression? The frozen yogurt was aplenty and swirled in a perfect way, and they were generous with the toppings. I took a seat and braced myself for the frozen yogurt enigma that had outshined Napket, Baskin Robbins, and the KDD ice cream man.
After I took my first spoonful, I smacked my lips repeatedly. Not because it was sinfully good, but because I figured with enough smacking, I could find out what was so “green tea” about this Green Tea frozen yogurt. That, and because I was trying to get ridof the sour aftertaste the fro-yo left behind. I think that’s why the toppings exist – so you can nibble on them when you want some real flavor. I ended up eating all of the berries first, like a kid playing with his/her Happy Meal toy before having to eat the burger.
Still, I downed my frozen yogurt cup for propriety’s sake and watched as the waiting line turned from a caterpillar into a centipede of young adults in demand of frozen yogurt.
Low-fat or non-fat, I’d rather eat something delicious and hit the gym afterwards than wolf down empty calories that taste like sour milk.
Final verdict? Sorry Pinkberry, I’m on my way to the s-u-p-e-r-m-a-r-k-e-t!
– Farah Bishara.
Images: Pinkberry http://www.pinkberry.com/
