(Born in the 80s) Snacks From My Childhood :D

Did you grow up eating these snacks? If you did, you must be at least as old as I am. :D

Just as my mother misses the kacang puteh, sold in newspaper wrapping, that she used to eat as a kid, I remember fondly these snacks that I used to spend a large portion of my pocket money on! 

I would love to keep some of these in a time capsule for future generations to discover, if not for the fact that these are perishable. So, I'm documenting them right here!

Over the course of a month, the snack collection you see above grew. I purchased these snacks in Singapore, Malaysia and even in Taiwan when I went there for a holiday last month. Everything from haw flakes to Wang Wang biscuits; I ignored the calories and bought them anyway. :)

I enlisted the help of my photographer friend, Max Clyne, and we did a photoshoot in his home "studio". 

[The result] Perhaps I can print this as postcards:

But that's not all! I wondered what these snacks would look like if re-packaged as atas treats. So here's what I did...

Old School Snacks Reimagined #1:

[From left: really old-school biscuits with pineapple jam, cheese balls and Apollo milk wafer cream with iced gem biscuits on top]

Those pineapple jam biscuits were my favorites in kindergarten. I would look forward to these and banana pancakes at teatime. 

Then there are the cheese balls. I have to admit that I like the 'Super Ring' version more, because I can stack those up like rings on my fingers, and then eat them all.

The Apollo wafers are like the Asian version of tim tams. I don't know anyone who was born in the 80s but has not eaten an Apollo wafer during his/her childhood. 

And if you don't already know, there are a total of THREE ways to eat iced gem biscuits:

#1: Eat the biscuit first and leave the 'gem' for last (some would call this delayed gratification)

#2: Eat the gem first and leave the biscuit behind (others would call this instant gratification)

#3: Eat the gem and the biscuit at the same time (I call this being practical)

I tend to do #1 and #3. You? :)

Old School Snacks Reimagined #2:

[From left: Yan Yan biscuit fingers with chocolate dip, Mamee Monster, Wang Zai Ball Cakes 旺仔小馒头 with 'bangle candy' on top, and raspberry ripple ice cream topped with biscuit piring wafer]

My Dad still stocks Yan Yan in his snacks cabinet! The chocolate biscuit snack continues to taste as good even after so many years. 

And with Mamee Monster, it is easy to tell who is a newbie at eating this snack. The newbies immediately open the pack and add the seasoning. The experienced Mamee-eaters will crush the noodles before opening the pack, then add the seasoning, and grabbing the top, shake it lightly so the seasoning spreads out evenly. :D

Wang zai biscuits and "bangle candy" (or what my fiancé calls "imitation M&Ms") have also not lost their charm. Adults and kids alike love the 旺仔小馒头 and I think they are very addictive because I can never get sick of eating them. 

And finally, I topped the raspberry ripple ice cream with 'biscuit piring wafer' which I had cut up - it usually comes in round sheets like crispy popiah skins, in three colors.

{ Giveaway }

One lucky winner will receive this entire box of goodies, including my favorite Super Ring snack, Hello Kitty PEZ candy from Taiwan, a Push Pop, Wang Wang biscuits, Apollo wafers, and more! :D

You can also win this for a friend! :)

All you need to do is comment on this blogpost and tell me what your favorite childhood snack is, irregardless of whether I have featured it in this post. :)

Winner announcement on 30th June 2014. Good luck!