Reminiscing the old days: 90’S Kids Favorite Snacks
Have you experienced a time when you just do nothing, maybe lay back in bed or sit on your couch, and remember some good experiences as a kid- you’d smile? Now that you are probably thinking about it, it’s nostalgic, isn’t it?
Do you remember when your mom would bribe you with your favorite snack after siesta just so you would sleep? Or, that time when you faked sleeping until your mom has fallen asleep then you’d sneak out to play with your childhood friends? Childhood memories are mostly from fun experiences with friends or some petty arguments, such as two kids of the group fighting over maybe a toy and the other friends taking sides. It’s funny now that you look back on these matters, but I bet that meant a lot back then to you. You might even have threatened that friend to never ever be best friends with them any more forever and ever.
All these naughty things you did back then, it all feels like it just happened yesterday when in fact, it was decades ago. Time flies so fast that sometimes adulting feels surreal. Last time, all you did was enjoy your time playing and bonding with your siblings and parents at home. You never had to think about your bills and other expenses- you were never broke!
Your wants were probably weren’t that expensive too. Now, you’d crave a coffee or burger for a few hundred bucks but when you compare it to your childhood treats, you’d totally get to buy all your favorites in bulk!
Coins back then make you happy as they could already afford you a tasty treat. To dive more into your childhood nostalgia, here are the few 90’s kids’ favorite snacks- you, for one, may have loved and may be missing.
1. Mikmik
This sweetened powder snack comes in three variants, ube, chocolate, and the most loved, milk. This is a staple in all sari-sari stores in the neighborhood and near elementary schools. You have never had a real taste of mikmik if you haven’t choked because of it!
Photo from Its Romelyn
2. Haw Flakes
During your elementary days, one of the most favored snacks is the haw haw flakes. It’s a Chinese sweets treat made from the fruit hawthorn thus, its name. This candy is packed in a cylindrical stack wrapped in paper with a printed Chinese character. Its taste is sweet but quite sour too!
Photo from Amazon
3. Cherry Ball Gum
Little girls love cherry ball gum for its sweet fruity taste and its storing red color that stains. This is every high school girl’s lipstick in the ’80s and ’90s! A pair of red lips to last a day- thanks to cherry ball gum!
Photo from DMC Enterprise
4. LALA
LALA chocolates started around 41 years ago. This milk-based sweet cocoa chocolate treat is well-loved by kids in years 80’s and 90’s. It can be bought as one whole bar or in a mini rectangle slice, two pieces for one peso back in the ’90s. For a price like that and its classic chocolate taste - it’s quite a steal!
Photo from Esquire Philippines
5. Stay Fresh
When tic-tac was still expensive for you, as a kid, stay fresh candy is the way to go. Its sweet and minty taste resembles that of the tic-tac but for a cheap price. You’d get that fresh and cool breath with just one peso!
Photo from Waltermart Delivery
6. Marie
Who doesn’t know Marie? These milky and soft biscuits are the perfect snack for kids-especially toddlers. It easily melts and the mouth the moment you put it in. It makes the right pair for your orange juice in every Filipino family merienda.
Photo from Familia Kiki
7. Yakee
Chewing gums are popular among kids. One of the brands most loved in the ’90s is the Yakee. It’s a sweet flavored round gum coated with sour colored layer. It makes you do the perfect muk-asim ( mukhang maasim ), you and your classmates and playmates love to compete over who does it better.
Photo from Twitter
8. Lumpia Shanghai
When you say lumpia shanghai, kids from the ’80s and ’90s would remember this cheesy junk food from their elementary days. The pack comes with three crunchy ticks coated with cheese powder that you can buy for only one peso. Coins surely can buy you a lot of decades ago!
Photo from Twitter
Remembering all these treats and snacks from your younger years just brings nostalgic memories of your childhood. It’s like each bite of any of these will recapitulate a moment you shared with some of your old friends that you may have never talked to again for years now. It’s funny how as cheap as one peso worth of snacks can bring so many emotions at once. This reminds you of the little things you often overlook because you aim for some bigger things.
It is okay to want more, you deserve to spoil yourself, yes, but there’s nothing wrong about visiting your old life, your old place, and your old self too. Sometimes, it’s the best thing to do especially when you grow older. It’s always great to come back home to your towns and provinces away from the hustle and bustle of city life- like for retirement. It may be still early to talk about retirement per se but it's always wise to plan it out early.
For more helpful tips on how to prepare for retirement and to achieve financial freedom, check out Building Your Wealth: The Road to a Financially-Healthy Portfolio. A lot of factors have to be checked and while it’s good to invest for the future as soon as possible, you have to have legitimate and trusted learning resources to apply in action- to make it a worthwhile investment.