KAREN Ho’s article “Give me ice cream” in Plush Living (NST, June 26) made for interesting reading.
To an octogenarian like me, the article brought back fond memories of the past when ice cream was a rare commodity in Malaysia.
The present generation may not know about the now-extinct ice-cream sellers, who went looking for customers on bicycles.
In the 1930s and 1940s, ais potong was a luxury for rural folk, particularly children living in the estates and villages where there was no electricity and refrigeration.
The ringing sounds that the ice cream seller made on his bicycle bell brought happiness to children, who would rush out for a piece of hard ais potong or a small cone-shaped wafer cup of ice cream. However, money was scarce then and not all children had the five cent coin to relish this luxury.
Ais potong was produced at home on a small scale by ice cream vendors in three flavours — durian, red bean and corn — while ice cream in wafer cups was always vanilla flavoured.
The ice cream seller also had an attractive multicoloured “wheel of fortune” that was attached to the ice-cream box. One may try his luck by giving the handle a spin.
The wheel usually stopped in the column marked “1” but if someone won more than two, the vendor would give him smaller-sized pieces. The innocent children were oblivious to this.
The ice cream seller made more money on sunny days. It was hard-earned income as the trade involved cycling from place to place, covering no less than 32km a day.
Looking back, it is unbelievable that such small things in life had brought us so much of excitement and joy.
S. SUNDARESON, Petaling Jaya, Selangor