Continuing from the previous post 享当年 – Recess back in Primary School Pt 1: Fried Food Wednesdays after 2 years of procrastination. Perhaps eating primary school canteen food and observing what the kids eat bring back the nostalgia again.
Curry Maggi. It is now hard to imagine the days pre-covid. Rewind 15 years and I can almost picture myself back in my school canteen on a Wednesday, crowding at the Indian store. Recess duty must've been an absolute nightmare for teachers then. We would reach out, hoping the auntie takes our order first. 70cents or a dollar and ten cents for a dish of plain, flaming hot curry maggi - cooked al dente. I could never convince mum to get some to eat at home or in the rare occasion, recreate that super savoury, umami and spicy deliciousness.
Holding the orange dish and balancing a fork and spoon on it, we would precariously carry the forbidden food (the school stopped allowing it some time later) to our tables - where we would find most of our companions also tucking into their bowls of MSG-packed goodness. Our noses would water as the spice hits - now it is hard to believe how a primary school kid withstood that level of spice. Wash it down then with lots of water or sometimes, I would have a cup of 掺掺 (peach tea + lemon tea) for 40cents.
Till today, when I finally come close to replicating that taste, curry maggi remains a sinful comfort food - and perhaps even a symbol of reconciliation - but that's a story for another time, perhaps in another 2 years.