Honey Chip Ice Cream’s Paraffin Controversy
Most food trends in Korea tend to follow a bell curve pattern when it comes to popularity. However for honey chip ice cream, its downfall might happen even swifter than its rise due to a television exposé about where the honeycombs are actually coming from. For those who have noticed a peculiarly waxy taste to their ice cream, it might be due to the fact that some of the ice cream shops have been using paraffin to create their “honeycombs.” In the televised segment, it was revealed that a “paraffin operation” had been going on in the countryside where paraffin would be made and then subsequently dyed orange and stamped with artificial hexagonal wax cells to give the knockoff its honeycomb appearance. The larger honey chip ice cream chains are not taking these accusations lightly and have threatened to sue for defamation. They claim that the segment implied that all ice cream shops are using paraffin in place of actual honeycomb and has consequently damaged their business. Only time will tell if this dessert trend will live to see another day.
Shot courtesy of Hong Na-hyun