Hansen's Sno-Bliz
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Hansen's Sno-Bliz is a snowball stand located in New Orleans, Louisiana on Tchoupitoulas Street at Bourdeaux Street.
It opened in 1934 and is believed to be the oldest snowball stands in the United States. It has been operated continuously by the Hansen family since its opening. After Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent death of founders Mr. Ernest and Mrs. Mary Hansen, the shop closed for some time before being reopened by their granddaughter in early summer of 2006.
"Snowballs" in New Orleans are what the rest of the country calls snow cones, but are made with much finer shaved ice and a large variety of homemade syrups.
[edit] The Machine
Ernest Hansen built Hansen's ice-shaving machine himself in the 1930's. It was the first ever block ice shaver. It uses a lever to push the ice into a spinning blade. Its design is a patented secret, often said to be due to its ability to make snowballs that can be put into a freezer and not become solid.
