Mobile Food Sellers of Yesteryear

[Papsmearer]

I love and miss the following:

1) malay Satay man going around the estate on a bicycle with a little charcoal grill at the back of his bike. My mother giving me money to run out there and buy a sticks of various meats. Why does satay seem to taste more delicious that way. For small orders like 2 or 3 sticks, he would pour the gravy on the satay and wrap it and give it to you. Yummy.

2) IBID, but this time, he is on a motorbike with a side car.

3) As mentioned on some other thread, the Indian man selling kaya bread on the back of his bike.

4) The enterprising man who drove around Area D in his motorbike sidecar selling drinks with ice (very nice in the hot weather), mee siam packets, etc. And his young daughter always seem to accompany him.

5) The man selling durian on his bike. We always suckers, bought 3 or 4 from him. LOL. They were not bad, can't recall getting a bad one.

Please add your own.

 

[Jabba]

The rojak man who cycles ard and sell a portion for 30cents

 

[Unrepented]

1. Indian man selling bottled goats milk on bicycle.

2. Malay man selling bottled "ChinJalok" (something like that), pink shrimp paste along changi beach.

3. Indian man selling bread, butter and kaya from aluminium box on motorcycle in the morning.

3. Old man selling hokkien mee, fried on a wok using a chacorol stove.

4. Old chinese man selling "Ting Ting" candy in a big zinc tray rested on a wooden folderable stand. This man wore a collie hat with towle drapped around his neck and he travels on foot.

5. Malay woman selling Onday Onday and banana cakes in a ratten basket.

6. Chinese man selling seasoned fruits, sweet coconut shavings, and assortment on a sidecar of a motorbike.

7. Home made ice cream with "Ah Ta Chee" sold in a drum rested on the sidecar of a motorbike. Uncle will give double scope and pile on the cone if pay more.

8. Old lady with bounded feet selling Nor Hiang in a ratten basket. She will cut the assortment into a plastic bag and pour sweet chilli sauce into it. We would eat from the plastic bag with a wooden pick as we walk home. By the time I reach home...dinner...no hungry liao.

9. Chinese rojak served on wax paper folded in a cone with staples.

 

[AhBengBoyBoy]

Wa, this thread only all the Ah Lao and Lao Yanky will be so happy to post.

My grand uncle today tell me his favourite also got that laksa man carry the laksa curry pot and huge basket for his bowls and other barang-barang on a bamboo stick on his shoulder, said got real fragrant "dayum kesum".

Then he also said he missed those duck meat (Ah-Bak) man which also let you roll dice in a big porcelain bowl like casino like that, dam shiork.

But got no photo to show me, I also don't know what is like. Hope some old grand uncle can post some old photos?

 

[wrcboi]

well those were the days of our lives!!! implement the ideas to the company... and it will happen again..mobile sellers in operation....probably price will be $1 eg. satay stick and above 90% goes to the company 10% goes to the seller...

 

[halsey02]

Can add...the man with all the brooms, feather dusters, household cleaning brushes, sticking out from his motocycle & a converted side car?

I remember the Western Food van, that predates Han's, ( maybe Han's owner father), that comes on a certain day of the week, that opens both sides, like the mobile food vans we once had recently.

The van sells, fish & Chips, kidney pies...beans...and when I was young save money just to waith for the van to come to buy a tin of liver pate or meat pate..

Then we have Char Kway Teow man with his wicker basket with a stick slung over his shoulders, one wicker with his wok & charcoal coker, and ther other his ingredients & bowls etc..

The Bish ball noodle man same as above..

The Karchang putih Indian man, that balances the square wooden rack on his head, 5cts for various types of nuts, and 20c for cashew nuts...he even have a lucky dip with colored stick...to win one more roll of karchang putih or thegrand price of cashew nuts.

 

[halsey02]

The man with the 'tang tang tang' foldeable tray, with his rock candy for 10cts.

The man or woman, with the huge thermos flask, that sell ice-potong, ang tau flavour, coconut & later durian..

The Magnolia Ice Cream man with his side car & persisol...strawberry ripple ice cream with biscuits, or magnolia 'drumstick' or "eskimo pie' or the colordul lolly that makes your tongue coloured..

 

[kingrant]

Scroobal started a similar thread some days back. Wondre if we could merge.

There's the guy who hit two bamboo pieces together in a musical tattoo ard tiong Bahru and took orders for meepok. Residents on upper floors dangled basket with a rope and change to pay for and collect the food.

The yong tau foo seller or the loh mei guy on his tricycle with the sauces in glasses at the front of the tri. The tricycle is the type with 2 wheels in front and 1 at rear.

The Chinese/Malay guys who carried satay grill/laksa/meesiam/meerebus on a bakar pole.

And the kacang puteh man on his bicycle.

Besides, mobile food, can I also add the guy who came around to sell light soya sauce in big kerosene tins and if you want only a bottle, he has a mechanical pump to draw out the stuff.

How abt the roaming barber who carries his briefcase of trade tools and you supply a chair or stool for him to cut yr hair there by the five foot way?

 

[johnny333]

Can add...the man with all the brooms, feather dusters, household cleaning brushes, sticking out from his motocycle & a converted side car?

....

The last time I saw them they were using the 3 wheel scooter. Something like the baja you see in Jakarta.

 

[johnny333]

If you live in the areas where the Brit forces were staying, a common sight was the fish & chips van.

 

[johnny333]

The man with the 'tang tang tang' foldeable tray, with his rock candy for 10cts.

The man or woman, with the huge thermos flask, that sell ice-potong, ang tau flavour, coconut & later durian..

The Magnolia Ice Cream man with his side car & persisol...strawberry ripple ice cream with biscuits, or magnolia 'drumstick' or "eskimo pie' or the colordul lolly that makes your tongue coloured..

I remember the 'tang tang' man & magnolia vendor outside the school, Also had:

The man selling keropok(prawn crackers) from the back of his motorbike with generous chilli added.

The man selling curry puffs from the back of his motorbike with chilli of course

 

[AhBengBoyBoy]

My old old uncle also said his favourite when he was a young boy was those round ice-balls with colourful syrup poured on it from a scoop.

He said he hope Seven-11 or Macdonald got sell again, then he sure to buy.

 

[johnny333]

My old old uncle also said his favourite when he was a young boy was those round ice-balls with colourful syrup poured on it from a scoop.

.

Used to get that from the indian shop .

 

[postnew]

 

[halsey02]

This one is from HILL STREET... ha ha kind of recongnise that Indian man.....

After sucking off all the coloured syrup, can go back and ask for refill, and they gladly give another scoop...no worries of unhygiene hands or too much syrup you get diabetes...life was young...and reckless!!

 

[halsey02]

I remember the 'tang tang' man & magnolia vendor outside the school, Also had:

The man selling keropok(prawn crackers) from the back of his motorbike with generous chilli added.

The man selling curry puffs from the back of his motorbike with chilli of course

Yeah ! the keropok ....pour the homemade chilli sauce from some soft drinks bottle with a paper stopper...never mind the cleaniless...just eat!, and so was the curry pok ...hmm curry puff, wrap in telephone book pages...together with the ink transferred...ha ha ha, we all grow up healthy!!

 

[sinren67]

1) The Malay woman selling Mee Siam at the void deck opposite my flat at Circuit Road. Me always use a big bowl to fill up at $0.30. I miss that Mee Siam that comes with many tao bok sliced in cubes. Back then in the 80s', there is no need so called "Green & Clean Week" organised by NEA to "educate " us on recycling.

2) Stayed at 4th level, mum and i used to lower the basket with exact $$ inside and pull up the basket filled with bean curd. So efficient. No slogan "cheaper, better, faster" is needed.

Sigh..those were the days..

 

[halsey02]

1) The Malay woman selling Mee Siam at the void deck opposite my flat at Circuit Road. Me always use a big bowl to fill up at $0.30. I miss that Mee Siam that comes with many tao bok sliced in cubes. Back then in the 80s', there is no need so called "Green & Clean Week" organised by NEA to "educate " us on recycling.

2) Stayed at 4th level, mum and i used to lower the basket with exact $$ inside and pull up the basket filled with bean curd. So efficient. No slogan "cheaper, better, faster" is needed.

Sigh..those were the days..

Bro!, you are still healthly right!, don't worry, Aminah goes to the toliet, she uses her left hand to clean, and right hand to cook... so it is always a clean & green....no need NEA worrying the daylights out of you...

 

[Jabba]

and the "sng pow" from the random malay house in hdb blocks....

 

[singveld]

I love and miss the following:
1) malay Satay man going around the estate on a bicycle with a little charcoal grill at the back of his bike. .

i miss that too. i like these good old days. before pap mess up everything.

i also miss the 24 hour KFC, where it is cook to serve.