milli.memories - first food memories

Mango Ice-Cream on way to the Star Ferry - Hong Kong

One of my first and most favorite food memories is one that encompasses my most treasured food group.... Ice cream.  As a child, my brother William and I used to go to visit my grandparents in Hong Kong every Fall.  It may sound strange to some, but by being raised in Guatemala our school year did not include a long summer vacation, but instead we had a long Fall - Winter vacation which we memorably spent in Hong Kong.  During those times, my Grandmother and my Mom would take us to our favorite destination - The Star Ferry, as we crossed a stretch of ocean between Kowloon to Hong Kong.  The best part of the trip would be going down the long line from the port to the ship, anticipating the delicious Mango Ice-Cream that we would be getting prior to starting our ride.  These were cups filled with Mango Ice-Cream, which you would eat with a little wooden scoop.  I don't know what it was, but this is the best Mango Ice-Cream I would ever have...  It was frozen electric yellow and orange in color, and something about the Mango taste and even the taste of that little wooden scoop, accentuated by the salty smell of the ocean that I will always fondly remember.  It is a taste, accompanied by a journey and I guess that those are the best tastes - the taste of an adventure, the taste of roots  - the taste of a beautiful family bond.  - Connie

I grew up in a large housing estate in Singapore. My childhood was definitely one of the most precious times of my life. Life was good with little stress. I recall coming back from school at around noon, have lunch and finish my homework... then the real fun begins - meeting my friends at the 'void deck' of my flat to play catch, rounders and all kinds of make-up games we used to create out of our imagination. Some residents open up little makeshift 'stalls' selling tidbits of all kinds and you've guessed it - we were their target market. When the police started raiding these little cottage industries at the void deck (Singapore is like that)... some continued selling from their homes. It felt so illegal and so wrong, but their popularity continued to grow by word of mouth. One of the most delicious snacks I used to love was sold by my religious teacher - Makcik Salmah from her home. Makcik Salmah makes the most delicious, crunchy 'kerepek ubi sambal' or ' spicy tapioca chips'. People in North America consider tapioca to be the processed, powdery granules one gets all readymade from supermarkets. For us in South East Asia, tapioca comes in its original form - as a root. Makcik Salmah would cut these roots very thinly by hand, fried them up to a crisp, then doused them with homemade sambal (chili sauce slightly sweet and very spicy), generously flavored with fried peanuts and dried anchovies. It was heaven. We typically ate these with 'air batu' - our version of the western popsicle. My favorite 'air batu' was flavored with Milo or with preserved Chinese plums. They made my day. What I'd do to taste all these again. - Ros


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