A Blast from The Past (NDP'17)

Red and white banners, red and white flags, and nostalgic music playing in schools and malls; it’s that time of the year again! On 9th August 2017, Singapore celebrates her 52nd birthday with the theme of #OneNationTogether. We know that Singaporeans love our food, but what about the childhood snacks we used to enjoy that are slowly disappearing from the conventional stores?

WestTheFood decided to bring some of our favourite childhood snacks to share with River Valley High School! We put up some posters in the canteen, did you see them? The booth in the canteen had information on these snacks, from where they originated to what they’re made of, more importantly the stories and memories they bring from a few decades ago!

To win some of these snacks, all the students had to do is answer some fun trivia on snacks, based on the huge info board at the booth. You’d be surprised to find out the prices of snacks back then, and how some foods are similar to what the children of today have. Did you miss out on the booth? Fret not as we’ve included all these information in the post, so feel free to check them out!

(Mr Daniel Lin snapping a picture of the yummy snacks!)

Additionally, we gave little goodie bags to teachers and non-teaching staff as well so they can join in on the fun! Get ready to reminisce about your childhood as we go through these yummy snacks

1. Can’t whistle? No worries!

CORIS WHISTLE CANDY

These Japanese sweets are shaped like polo mint sweets, but are flavoured with ramune, a traditional Japanese soft drink similar to lemonade.

They make a whistling sound when you blow through the hole, causing them to be popular amongst children in those days.

the whistle candies were a nuisance in class and a popular prank among the notorious children. They will whistle with the candy whenever the teacher is not looking.

It also comes with a little toy, for the entertainment of the children.

2. Remember this?

TORA CANDY, DING DANG SNACK

The widely-loved Tora snacks and Ding Dang snacks were biscuit covered with a layer of chocolate.

At about 50 cents a box, these snacks were boxes of joy for a small price.

Similar to the KinderJoy that children these days enjoy, these snacks had a surprise toy inside, waiting to put a smile on the faces of the child who bought it.

3. Forget lollipops, these were the hype…

FUJIYA CHOCOLATE STICKS

These classic snacks were products of Japan.

The chocolate sticks were available in cute designs such as Hello Kitty, and others, drawing the attention of young children back in those days. The chocolate suited the sweet toothed habits of many children, and were one of the children's’ favourite snacks.

Even the sticks that the chocolate were on were good souvenirs for the children, as the cute designs were embossed onto the sticks themselves.

Fujiya Co. Ltd, is famous for confectionery and restaurants, has its own very cute mascot named “Peko chan”. The lip licking girl has pigtails and is famous all over Japan. Referring to “hara peko” (腹ペコ) or ‘peko peko’, the onomatopoeic phrase for being hungry, her name is a cute form of wordplay.

4. Want something light and airy?

BISCUIT PIRING WAFER

This snack was definitely a favourite amongst children of the past generations. Originating from Malaysia, the trend was quickly brought over to Singapore, where it was a large defining factor of one’s childhood.

It is made of eggs, flour and sugar, to create the fluffy, crispy taste. It is called “air wafer”, and I believe we all know why.

5. Ice cream, but not really..

KITTY BOY

This was a fun twist that took normal ice cream, and brought it to a whole new level.

KittyBoy was originally from Malaysia, as most of our snacks are, and slowly gained an audience here amongst the children of Singapore.

The snack consists of a box of wafer cones, and a tube of cream that comes in different flavours. It was similar to making your own ice cream, something seldom seen, and hence it attracted so much attention.

6. Hair raisin’ !

LIGO RAISINS

These originated from USA, and were a hit amongst children, due to their explosion of sweet flavour when bit into.

Raisins are dried grapes, so they are actually a healthier choice of snacks, while still encompassing all of a child’s requirements for a sweet treat.

7. Can’t finish an entire bottle of soda?

ORION MINI BOTTLE CANDY

These Japanese candy available in various flavours are a penny sweet for when you need a sugar hit! Do not let their size fool you – these tiny tablet-shaped sweets are bursting with an intense combination sweet/sour flavour. The little plastic can containers make these great for carrying around. Alternatively they make a great party bag gift.

8. You wouldn’t fear an explosion like this!

DYNAMITE CHOCO MINT

These sweets from Malaysia consist of chocolate encased hard mint candy, giving children that exciting explosion of chocolate from within that candy they thought was just minty and ordinary.

9. Need an eyecheck?

MOMMON BANGLE AND EYEGLASS CANDY

These snacks were the older versions of the M&Ms we all know and love today.

They were little chocolates encased in ‘tablet cases’, shaped like eyeglasses and bangles to provide the novelty effect that made them so lovable and memorable amongst kids in those days.

10. Animal farm

POLA SNACK

These well-loved snacks were indonesian version of animal crackers. The ingredients also specified sugar, spices, salt, and caramel, which was pretty much what it tastes like; an ever so mildly combination of sweet and salty crackers made to resemble little animals, to engage the interest of children.

11. Before kit kats, there were…

APOLLO WAFERS

Apollo Chocolate Wafers were a common sight in the past .

They were fondly remembered as the chocolate that melted and smeared easily but no child minded licking them off the wrapper because it was just that delicious.

They didn’t burn holes in your pocket as in those times, children just had to pay about 5 to 10 cents for one bar, which was enough to satisfy their cravings.

These red-foiled wrapped bars were indeed the best kind of chocolate cream wafers.

We hope you enjoyed our little initiative, had fun eating, and learnt some food facts as well!