With technological changes over the years, one thing is certain – if you cannot keep up with the changes, you will soon get phased out, be it technology or food. The team picked 8 childhood snacks from the 80s and 90s which are eventually phased out or are less commonly available in the present.
1) Cigarette Sweets
(http://www.gneneres.com/) Stick-white sweet, every kid of the past innocently pretended this to be cigarette. Not sure if this sweet has ever influenced kids to grow up smoking, it is definitely fun times to “act cool” with something yummy and edible. I also like to “sharpen” this stick sweet when I was young out of boredom.
2) Colourful biscuits
Slowly becoming a must-to-have in a number of hipster cafes, the selling point of this biscuit is the plop of coloured sugar on top. As a kid I always separate the biscuits and the sugar by plucking them out, then slowly savouring the sugar in my mouth.
3) Ding Dang and Tora chocolate balls
(www.suanie.net) Most kids buy these not for the chocolate balls because they do not taste as good as other chocolates and are even soggy at times. To be honest, we are in it for the little toys in the box. Although nothing fanciful, the notion of mysterious toys always intrigues kids.
4) Bee Bee snacks
(http://thebookofshadow.blogspot.sg/) Probably the only snacks that hasn’t been affected by inflation, one pack of Bee Bee snack has been S$0.10 for the past 20 years. Depending on my mood, I can either pour the entire pack into my mouth or slowly savour them piece by piece.
5) Whistle Sweets
Always angry at myself for not able to master the technique of whistling, this sweet is my closest bet and comfort at mastering the skill. Even at 21 years old, I will still play with this sweet given the chance!
6) Milk Tablets
(http://s1105.photobucket.com/user/Vivienneeluv/profile/) Always a dilemma for me as a kid, I get vexed over which flavors to get for myself or my siblings especially when a small pack only has a few pieces of sweets and it’s simply not enough.
7) Kitty Boy
(www.timeoutsingapore.com) Kitty Boy consists of a tube of sweetened cream gel and miniature ice-cream cones. Always a challenge to swirl the perfect ice-cream cone, it is the best part of this snack.
8) Haw Flakes
(http://thrutheyears87.blogspot.sg/) Made from the Chinese hawthorn fruits, this is one that kids either love (like me) or detest endlessly (my sister).
Cherish what you have at the moment, you never know how long they can withstand the tide of time. It is comforting news to know that some cafes are preserving this nostalgia as their marketing strategy by promoting and making available such generational snacks.
What is your favourite childhood snack? Take a poll below to let the team know your pick, or comment below for snacks that are not mentioned!
Writer: Leong Chee Sheng<a href="https://polldaddy.com/p/8039627" target="_blank">Take Our Poll</a>