Snack time or recess was for sure everyone’s favorite part of the day! Back home, Pinoy sitsirya was just as colorful as our ’90s culture.
Aminin! Before our cellphones and gadgets today, these snacks were our most-prized possessions every afternoon. We munched on them while watching some of the most iconic shows of our time.
While we no longer see most of them in jars displayed in front of sari-sari stores today, we all know that they’ll always hold a special place in our hearts… and tummies!
1. Bazooka Joe Gums
You know this pink bubblegum that tastes exactly like bubblegum – no added flavor, no menthol taste, just the sweet succulent gum that you get in every square-sized packet. On top of the gum itself, buyers were also treated to a short comic strip printed on the packaging of this treat.
2. Iced Gems Biscuits
Whether you like the biscuit or the icing part, everyone loved these bite size nibblers topped with colorful swirl icing. And if it is any indication to its timelessness as a Filipino favorite, Iced Gems Biscuit continue to be a baon staple for kids right now.
3. Yakee and Pintoora
These two come hand in hand. Most of the time, if a store sells Yakee, you can bet that Pintoora is also somewhere in the shelves and vice-versa. Despite both being gumballs, the two offers two very different take on the chewy treat. Yakee prides itself for its very sour exterior, while sweet Pintoora just tints your mouth with the same color that it came in.
4. Mikmik
These powdered milk snack may sound peculiar to anyone who has never tried the wonders of sipping it from its packaging using a micro straw. But ask anyone who spent their childhood some time in the 90s and they would tell you that Mikmik is probably the most fascinating snack at that time. Aside from its usual vanilla flavor, it also came in chocolate and strawberry form.
5. Your local sari-sari store/kapitbahay’s ice candy.
At one point in our lives, we lived near someone who used to make homemade ice candy in all sorts of flavors. Sometimes they come in fruity flavors, depending on the season. Other times, they simply come in chocolate, which is basically just frozen Milo or Ovaltine drink mixture. Regardless, we all have been guilty of spending all our barya buying these low-key cold treats. -ALD
