The jelly is made by mixing gelatin, sugar and cactus juice before waiting for a while. After both items are ready, the jelly is scooped onto the shaved ice and served to the customer. I like to mix the jelly, syrup and ice all together, but some people like to eat it without mixing it!
Yes, this food is definitely connected to the local environment! If you go to the shore in Penghu, you will see cactus lined hills everywhere. It grows in a lot of places, so people wanted to make use of them. They use the cactus fruit that grows on the cacti and turn that into different dishes. It is the only place in Taiwan that has this much cactus, so it's a big reason tourists like to visit. In many tourist areas in the summer, you can even find street vendors selling cactus ice cream!
