An ice cream shop in Hong Kong is now offering ‘tear gas’ flavored ice cream, according to a Friday tweet from CTV News.
Hong Kong shop offers ‘tear gas’ flavour ice cream https://t.co/x9XCcGi8Ht pic.twitter.com/up6d8xaoGH
— CTV News (@CTVNews) May 15, 2020
The main ingredients are black peppercorns, designed to be a metaphor for the pepper rounds that police use to fire at protestors. “It tastes like tear gas. It feels difficult to breathe at first, and it’s really pungent and irritating. It makes me want to drink a lot of water immediately,” Anita Wong said to the AP, “I think it’s a flashback that reminds me of how painful I felt in the movement, and that I shouldn’t forget.” (RELATED: Donations Pour In For 17-Year-Old Ice Cream Shop Employee Who Was Berated For Working)
HONG KONG, CHINA – November 18: Protesters clash with police as police fire teargas at them at The Hong Kong Poytechnic University on November 18, 2019 in Hong Kong, China. (Photo by Anthony Kwan/Getty Images)
The shop owner told the AP that he supports the pro-democracy movement but asked to be anonymous because he fears repercussions from the pro-Beijing government. “We would like to make a flavor that reminds people that they still have to persist in the protest movement and don’t lose their passion,” he said. The owner also said that the ice cream has been a hit among customers, selling 20-30 scoops per day.
Protesters react amongst tear gas canister during clashes with police at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) in Hong Kong on November 12, 2019.(Photo by DALE DE LA REY / AFP) (Photo by DALE DE LA REY/AFP via Getty Images)
According to Hong Kong authorities more than 16,000 rounds of tear gas have been fired during the protests. Demonstrations have stopped since the spread of coronavirus.