Long before calories, the Glycemic Index (GI), saturated fats and trans-fats became part of our vocabulary when it came to dissecting the nutritional value of what we put into our mouth, ignorance of everything except for the taste of our foods and drinks was truly blissful.       

       Now, we harshly denounce a lot of our favourite foods of the past as junk food but rest easy in the assurance that the amazing metabolism that we had in our younger days ensured that what went into our tummies was broken down just as quickly.

       Unfortunately, just as that carefree attitude towards food has left us, so too has that darn metabolism. Nonetheless, there are no additional calories incurred in reminiscing about the delicious foods and drinks of our past. So indulge, albeit vicariously.

“Air Batu”/Coloured Iced Water
       At a mere 10 cents per packet of coloured iced water, this was quite simply a lump of ice doused in extremely sweetened and coloured syrup. Nothing remotely spectacular about the way it was prepared but it was oh so refreshing especially after a hot afternoon running around the playground or on the way home from school. Before isotonic drinks, this “air batu” was our very own colloquial thirst quencher.

Push-pops
       We just loved our sugar didn’t we? Another sugar-rich candy that we enjoyed was the push-pop. Honestly, I think it was the packaging of the sweet rather than the sweet itself that did me in.

       Nothing beats acting all grown-up and female and pretending that my push-pop was a tube of lipstick and slowly devouring the candy by alternating between sucking on the tube of candy and rubbing it all over my lips. I was even willing to bear the discomfort that inevitably arose from eating a push-pop, disgustingly sticky hands.

Paddle-Pop ice cream
       Wonder what it is with the “pops”. The cheery multi-hued ice cream was a vision by itself and it tasted really good too, milky smooth and not overly sweet.

       Then there was the jingle that proved really popular with my friends and I… “Paddle Pop, Paddle Pop, Super duper yummy”. Of course the fact that it was one of the cheapest ice creams around didn’t hurt one bit. Then I got richer and discovered Cornetto ice cream.

Mamee snack
       There is an art in eating this snack, which is similarly shaped to pre-cooked Maggi instant noodles. First, you pound on the unopened packaging of the snack so that you can break the snack into smaller bits. Then, you open the packaging and add the seasoning to the snack. After shaking the packaging vigorously to ensure even mixing of the seasoning, you enjoy the fruit of your 2 minutes of labor.

       Of course, others have come up with their own variations of eating the snack but almost everyone is in consensus on its yummy taste. I actually enjoyed Mamee more than potato chips.

Condensed milk on white bread
       Condensed milk is by far the most delicious spread that I have ever tasted on white bread, pure magic for those who love to live dangerously like I did when I was younger.

       The creaminess and sweetness of the condensed milk allows the bread to flow almost smoothly down your throat, without the need for much chewing of the bread. Bread became all the more interesting as a staple breakfast item for many a times because of this. Completely potent.

Nutella
       How can I possibly ignore this chocolate spread? Best eaten by itself with the enclosed plastic spatula, or if you’re not fastidious about etiquette, your fingers would do just fine.

       It is thick and creamy like peanut butter, and tastes just like milk chocolate. I used to eat my Nutella literally bit by bit and let the chocolate roll around my tongue, savoring and prolonging every single bite of it. I'd make sure that the jar of Nutella was spotlessly clean before I threw it away, every nook and cranny of the jar received a thorough prodding from my fingers until I was satisfied that there was not even a smear of Nutella left on the jar. I worshiped the taste of this spread this much.

       And who could forget the cheap travel size packs you could pick up from the red capped jars at the nearby mama shop? Instant gratification to beat the arduous walk back home.