🍧🍦🍨Cool summer treats and long, hot days! ... How are you beating the heat? 😎

[vickieito]

☀️🥵How hot is it going to get?!!

I grew up mostly in Alaska, where it doesn't get much warmer than 15°C/59°F in the summer. So I have a very low tolerance for heat.

With record-setting heat hitting Japan (40.2°C/104.4°F), I am very glad that I work from home and I no longer have to commute 2 hours every day. Air conditioning is a must (I won't even look at my energy bills) and I do all my grocery shopping at night when it's dark.

If it were only heat, I'd be okay. But it's the humidity that gets me. I'm used to 2-15% humidity. Japan is now at 88% humidity. And I'm swimming (or rather drowning) in the heat.

🍧💗My Favorite Summer Treats

The only thing that makes these hot summer days worth it are all the frozen and cold treats that I can eat!

I don't know why, but these goodies always taste better when eaten outdoors and in the sun: 

• All-natural: Nothing beats a cool, juicy slice of sweet watermelon! I could eat that all day! I also love munching on crispy cucumbers, putting lemon slices in my water, or drinking fruit tea.
• Store-bought: I love ice cream! Japan has so many fun treats and flavors: matcha, mochi, melon, vanilla, chocolate, blueberry, strawberry, and sweet potato ... Yum!🤤 
• Home-made: Colorful Jello, homemade Orange Julius smoothie, and key lime pie! ... Mmmmm! 😋 All of these treats aren't sold here in Japan. Homemade shaved ice is also a nice treat if you have a shaved ice machine that can make it super light and fluffy.

Now it's your turn to share! What are your favorite summer treats? And how are you beating the heat?

[smashradio]

16 minutes ago, vickieito said:

I grew up mostly in Alaska, where it doesn't get much warmer than 15°C/59°F in the summer. So I have a very low tolerance for heat.

I was born in Norway. It can get hot there (today it's been 28°C in Northern Norway and my buddy up there is sweating at the moment, not used to the heat - that's up at the polar circle!) but usually it's very cold. Freezing cold. Horrible. 

But I've lived in Gran Canaria for the past 10 years and I also (partially) grew up here. So I'm very used to the heat. Cold, on the other hand, I can't handle. I suffer from cold urticaria, which basically is like an allergy to cold. I get hives, can go into shock, pass out and get scary blood pressure dips due to the cold. Can't even handle a breeze on a mild day or the metal from an armrest at a cafe without getting hives. 

So give me scorching heat any day. 

But Gran Canaria, usually known for it's heat, has been rather chilly. It's warmer up at the arctic circle than here in (geographic) Africa! 

16 minutes ago, vickieito said:

Now it's your turn to share! What are your favorite summer treats? And how are you beating the heat?

An ice cold alcohol free beer. I'm a simple man. A beer and a cigar. That's all I want. 

Edited June 27, 2022 by smashradio

[donnovan86]

11 minutes ago, smashradio said:

So I'm very used to the heat. Cold, on the other hand, I can't handle.

For me it's the opposite. I can get very sick if it's too hot, headaches, etc. Cold, that I can handle. That's why for me AC is king, and the main way to get past summer days. That, and staying in the shadows whenever I go outside, avoiding direct heat. Some would say this is a sign I am a vampire :)))) I'll take it 🙂

[theratypist]

4 hours ago, vickieito said:

• Store-bought: I love ice cream! Japan has so many fun treats and flavors: matcha, mochi, melon, vanilla, chocolate, blueberry, strawberry, and sweet potato ... Yum!🤤

Your 7/11 convenience stores are INTENSE. Hahahaha. Japan is crazzzyyyyyyy when it comes to convenience stores for some reason and your vending machines almost sell everything hahaha. Tagging you @zeus777 so I  can say my thoughts in one place hahaha

[mariashtelle1]

4 hours ago, vickieito said:

grew up mostly in Alaska, where it doesn't get much warmer than 15°C/59°F in the summer. So I have a very low tolerance for heat.

I live in tropics currently and it’s 30-40C all year long, it’s very rare we get temperature down to 27C 😅 

I grew up in Siberia so -50C was something normal and I wasn’t born for this heat. BUT I will take heat over cold any time of a day now. Can’t imagine going back to cold weather anymore. Yes I get swollen, sweaty and all other beautiful side effects of hot weather but I’m so much happier waking up with sunny weather or even walking under the warm tropical rain. 
 

Cold bubble tea is my go to happiness, though having a cup of warm Kopi help you regulate your body temperature better. But ultimately nothing helps better than the aircon 😂🙈

 

Which reminds me, maybe today is a good day for a pool swim. *walking to pack towel and sunscreens*

[moikchap]

5 hours ago, donnovan86 said:

I can get very sick if it's too hot

I'm similar. It feels like my heart gets finnicky in the heat. I had a grandparent pass from heat sickness in a heat wave a few years back.

The frustrating part is that it gets too hot to cook. I like slow-cooked stews, but I can't have the pot heating the place for eight hours.

One nice thing is that where I live pretty much always has a cold sea breeze, and it has a lot of dairy bars (our top industry is tourism, so there's a lot of vacation traps). Whenever I need a break from the heat, I head down to the harbour parks to visit one of them, and sit the the shade with the ocean wind. One of the food trucks is a cold-stone that uses local milk and fresh fruit. I'll typically try there first and decide where I wanna go based on the line/wait.

But, our summers are pretty mild and tolerable overall. They're trivial compared to our winters.

 

[ozan_erdi]

In turkey, we have a guy who is famous for snapping because of the heat and shooting at the sun with his pistol.

And i personally im too pale to be born here. Somehow i managed to not get skin cancer in 32 years. But i got 3rd degree burns in the past while sitting in the beach umbrella shadows. So i keep away from the sunlight in the summer days. No food can get me better.

But my personal thing is those cold yogurt stuff with nuts, biscuits and banana inside(you can pick other stuff too, those are my favorites). That thing is yum. 

So i get to live like a vampire for 4 months in a year, and some people wants to kill the sun.

I guess you can say, we dont handle it well 😄 

[miiila]

Lots of 🧊🧊🧊🧊🧊 in my drinks. I love silicone ice cube trays with fancy "cubes". I got🐧,🤍,🔷, and had polar bears, too, but they are gone somehow 🤔. Are fridges to ice cube trays what washing machines are to socks?

[ozan_erdi]

24 minutes ago, miiila said:

Lots of 🧊🧊🧊🧊🧊 in my drinks. I love silicone ice cube trays with fancy "cubes". I got🐧,🤍,🔷, and had polar bears, too, but they are gone somehow 🤔. Are fridges to ice cube trays what washing machines are to socks?

Its like a ritual of some sorts. A demonic pact. You feed them socks and ice cubes regularly. In return they grant you their cleansing and freezing powers. I do not question their will anymore.

[katakatica]

We just escaped the Swedish heatwave (well... 'Heatwave') and came to Paris right when it's not TOO hot. (Apparently it was worse last week!)

I drink lots of cold juice and have wayyy too much ice cream both at home and outside!

Also hoping to make some colder foods if it's still hot when I head home this weekend!

[ozan_erdi]

18 minutes ago, katakatica said:

Swedish heatwave

To be honest, this sounds more like a doom metal/electronic music festival. Both of them at once

[alphagev]

Oh, well I'm NOT beating the heat, instead the heat is beating me. Can't stand hot, I feel like I'm fainting any minute...
I'm trying to fight back like a hopeless knight with a wooden stick against an angry giant dragon.

Can't stand hot, I feel like I'm fainting any minute...
Anyway, I'm eating A LOT of fresh fruits like watermelon, drinking water very often, going for grocery at dusk - basically I'm living "What we do in the shadows" season 4. 

[krheate]

20 hours ago, vickieito said:

What are your favorite summer treats?

Ice cream, boba tea, and watermelon are definitely top contenders!

[smashradio]

20 hours ago, donnovan86 said:

For me it's the opposite. I can get very sick if it's too hot, headaches, etc. Cold, that I can handle. That's why for me AC is king, and the main way to get past summer days. That, and staying in the shadows whenever I go outside, avoiding direct heat. Some would say this is a sign I am a vampire :)))) I'll take it 🙂

Haha! I'm the guy wearing a full three piece suit in 28C/82F without breaking a sweat. I'm also the dude wearing a Canada Goose jacket if it drops below 15C/59F 😂

Some say this is a sign I am from Venus. I'll take it, too! 😄 

12 hours ago, ozan_erdi said:

In turkey, we have a guy who is famous for snapping because of the heat and shooting at the sun with his pistol.

There's a Norwegian movie, titled "Shooting the sun". It's a terrible movie. But the dude gets sick and dies from a growing heart. He kept shooting at the sun with his shot gun in the movie. 🤣

9 hours ago, ozan_erdi said:

To be honest, this sounds more like a doom metal/electronic music festival. Both of them at once

It's not Swedish. It's Norwegian. 

 

[donnovan86]

52 minutes ago, smashradio said:

Haha! I'm the guy wearing a full three piece suit in 28C/82F without breaking a sweat. I'm also the dude wearing a Canada Goose jacket if it drops below 15C/59F 😂

 

Just the thought of that is ... damn... I am definitely the opposite. I break a sweat in a t-shirt at that temperature. Anyway, where I live I am dealing with 28-35 degrees Celsius so yeah, it is very hot. 

[smashradio]

5 minutes ago, donnovan86 said:

Just the thought of that is ... damn... I am definitely the opposite. I break a sweat in a t-shirt at that temperature. Anyway, where I live I am dealing with 28-35 degrees Celsius so yeah, it is very hot. 

Yeah we have the same here, usually. But we just moved to the north of the island (Gran Canaria) and it's colder here. The south can be scorching in the summer. In the winter time it drops down to 10 - 12 degrees at night in the north. That's when I use three duvets and sleep fully dressed with a heater on. 😂

Edited June 28, 2022 by smashradio

[melanielm]

Mmm... frozen fruit. I rarely eat fruit that's not at least partially frozen. Grapes and orange segments are favorites. Apples and bananas don't really work, though. I always have a cup full of ice water, too.

I'm in the Mid-Atlantic region of the US. We top out around 35C around here regularly in the summer, but are usually closer to 30. (85-95F)

[donnovan86]

1 hour ago, smashradio said:

The south can be scorching in the summer. In the winter time it drops down to 10 - 12 degrees at night in the north.

Sounds great honestly.

[smashradio]

1 hour ago, donnovan86 said:

Sounds great honestly.

[animie_video]

From all above comments, my country is hottest right now, it's usually 40-45 C during the day here with scorching sun. People usually avoid to get out of their place, I had to go yesterday for a grocery (believe me I wouldn't have stepped out if it wasn't that urgent) and OH MY GOD, it was like I melted down the road even though the car A.C was working good 😄

I usually have a lot of fresh and cold water, watermelons, then we have a special drink here made from almonds, I have that early in the morning to make the heat run away. Lots of Tang during the day 😄 

[donnovan86]

7 hours ago, smashradio said:

Well, it seems he will have a Spinoff series on HBO soon...

Leaving that aside, the weather is too extreme. 

3 hours ago, animie_video said:

OH MY GOD, it was like I melted down the road even though the car A.C was working good 😄

AC is a lifesaver for many of us. And I can only assume with global warming things will get much worse in the years/decades to come. 

[vickieito]

Hi Everyone! I've been enjoying all of your posts! 💗 Sorry I haven't jumped in until now!

Today was a hard day. I had to walk to the elementary school (which is 15 minutes away). In broad daylight. At noon. I almost died. It was so hot and wearing a mask wasn't helping it. I was only able to survive because of all the vending machines that lined the way to the school. Yes @theratypist, Japan's vending machines are amazing!!! I passed 17 vending machines (all with a different varieties of drinks). About halfway to the school, I stopped at one of the vending machines to purchase two bottles to use as cold packs on my neck to cool me down. The school almost didn't let me in because my body temperature was borderline 38°C/100°F by the time I arrived at the school. However, I was only there to pick up a packet of information (that they didn't want to mail to me), so they let me in. After 5 mins, I had to make that grueling trek back home.

@donnovan86 @alphagev  @ozan_erdi @moikchap - glad to know I'm not the only one that doesn't do well in the heat!

@animie_video - I can't imagine living over there! Japan's temperatures are nothing compared to yours!

@miiila @ozan_erdi - Thanks for solving the missing socks/ice cube dilemma! haha😆 ... I also need to get some cute ice cubes so I can beat the heat in style!

@smashradio - Norway and cold urticaria! How did you survive childhood?! 🥶 Now I know how you can get away with wearing a 3-piece suit!

On 6/28/2022 at 1:37 PM, moikchap said:

where I live pretty much always has a cold sea breeze, and it has a lot of dairy bars ... Whenever I need a break from the heat, I head down to the harbour parks to visit one of them, and sit the the shade with the ocean wind. 

On 6/28/2022 at 11:40 AM, mariashtelle1 said:

I’m so much happier waking up with sunny weather or even walking under the warm tropical rain. ... Which reminds me, maybe today is a good day for a pool swim. *walking to pack towel and sunscreens*

Oh, I'm envious of both of you! Nothing beats a nice sea breeze (with dairy bars) or a dip in the pool. 🌊

Quote

An ice cold alcohol free beer. I'm a simple man. A beer and a cigar. That's all I want.  @smashradio

Cold bubble tea is my go to happiness, though having a cup of warm Kopi help you regulate your body temperature better.  @mariashtelle1

One of the food trucks is a cold-stone that uses local milk and fresh fruit. @moikchap

But my personal thing is those cold yogurt stuff with nuts, biscuits and banana inside(you can pick other stuff too, those are my favorites). @ozan_erdi

I drink lots of cold juice and have wayyy too much ice cream both at home and outside! @katakatica

I'm eating A LOT of fresh fruits like watermelon, drinking water very often @alphagev

ce cream, boba tea, and watermelon are definitely top contenders! @krheate

Mmm... frozen fruit. I rarely eat fruit that's not at least partially frozen. Grapes and orange segments are favorites. @melanielm

I usually have a lot of fresh and cold water, watermelons, then we have a special drink here made from almonds, I have that early in the morning to make the heat run away. Lots of Tang during the day 😄 @animie_video

Aaahhh ... you all are making me so hungry! 🤤

On 6/28/2022 at 11:37 AM, theratypist said:

Your 7/11 convenience stores are INTENSE. Hahahaha. Japan is crazzzyyyyyyy when it comes to convenience stores 

Once it gets dark, I'll take my kids over to 7-Eleven to get some cold treats! 😋 

[smashradio]

9 hours ago, vickieito said:

 

@smashradio - Norway and cold urticaria! How did you survive childhood?! 🥶 Now I know how you can get away with wearing a 3-piece suit!

 

It actually didn't set in until I turned 23. I went to the beach with a friend and after taking a dip in the ocean I got really dizzy and disorientated. Started walking away and passed out with my head saying hello to a slab of concrete.

The doctors had no idea and thought I used drugs, alcohol and didn't eat breakfast. Not true, of course.

It took years until I found out what it really was.

I moved back to Norway for a year to be with my future wife while she finished school. 

She lived up north, in the coldest part of Norway. Couldn't even walk to the supermarket without hiving up like crazy. I looked like a lobster with skincancer who'd been run over by a truck, then boiled, and glued back together by a drunk, blind sailor with Parkinsons – in a storm. 

Horrible stuff. Still, I thought I was just a sensitive millenial for complaining. 

A couple of years later, I was back in Gran Canaria with my wife. Went to the beach. Same story. If it wasn't for my brave wifey, my head would have said hello to the concrete again. Woke up and took a cab to the nearest doctor. They said my blood pressure was dangerously low, but they didn't understand why. It took 25 stabs with a needle to find a vain for the IV. I was basically a zombie-man! 

So that's when I started googling, and I figured out that it was cold urticaria. These days, I don't get the hives as much, but my body constantly aches and I walk like an old person whenever the temperature goes below 25C. 🤣

Yey. Now you know some totally uninteresting facts about Mr. Smash!