“I may have had five of these because of the frickin’ heat,” a friend said on Facebook, referring to a slushed ice drink. “Lasa siyang Nutrilicious na may ice bits. I miss Slush Puppies from my elementary days.”
It’s been a while since I last had a Slush Puppie (at least 8-10 years, if the last time I had one was in high school), but I can still remember the distinct tangy flavor of the strawberry-lemon lime combination I always ordered. Weird, I know, but I could never make up my mind about which flavor I liked better.
Slush Puppie pump bottles. I was always amazed by how deft the server's hands were whenever students asked for an "all-flavor mix."
Once, I saw my longtime crush slip into the cafeteria (he always walked over from Ateneo to Miriam because his school bus waited there) and order a vivd blue drink, which turned out to be blueberry. After that, I ordered blueberry-flavored Slush Puppies, too. It tasted nothing like blueberries, and left my tongue blue to boot. It was no fun getting Slush Puppie during peak hours, because the ice bits weren’t fully formed yet and all we got was brightly colored liquid in a cup—boo, no brain freeze.
I heard from the same friend that they no longer serve Slush Puppies or Snowie (another frozen drink, usually Coke or Rootbeer flavored on one side, another brightly colored one in another) because grade schools are asked to offer fresh fruit shakes instead. While I’m all for healthy eating and would not let my future kid guzzle soda and other artificially flavored drinks, I can’t help but feel that kids nowadays are missing out.
Thinking of Slush Puppie made me remember the other sugar-filled treats from my childhood, and I must say that I definitely had too much fun. Still, no regrets! I make up for things now with my daily serving of veggies anyway. What did I like best?
1. Haw flakes
We pretended to hand out communion when we ate this one
Apparently made from hawthorne fruit (the only other time I saw hawthorne used was when J.K. Rowling referred to Draco Malfoy’s wand), haw flakes were a staple grade school candy. Sweet, soft and slightly tangy, I could finish a pack of it in a day if only I were allowed to. These used to sell for 2 pesos per piece in the school cafeteria (or “cafe;” for some reason, we never called it a canteen). The price went up to 2.50, then I think eventually 5. We unknowingly committed blasphemy many times over whenever we lined up in front of someone with a pack to receive “communion.”
2. Haw Haw Candy
This was my favorite when I was in kindergarten and remained one of my top choices until grade school. Haw Haw doesn’t contain a shred of hawthorne; instead, it’s milk powder in tablet form. I used to share a pile of these with my first best friend, who I never saw after third grade because she moved to Assumption Antipolo and I never knew what happened to her after. I tried this again a couple of weeks ago, and it didn’t taste as good as I remembered. Some things should be left in that little sacred place called childhood.
3. Kraft Caramels
I must’ve had a sweet tooth like no one else had, because I really liked Kraft Caramels when few of my friends could eat more than three of these in one sitting. I still love the creamy taste of caramel, but my brand of choice now is Fran’s Salted Caramels, also a favorite of Michelle Obama (they’re quite pricey, but the smoked salt caramels are to die for). They used to sell for 2 pesos apiece, too. I haven’t seen them in supermarkets lately, but I’m sure they’re still available somewhere.
4. Iced Gems
Iced Gem crackers. I liked the pink ones best.
I always sorted these in a pile and saved the pink ones for last. Unlike some people who liked saving the icing for last, I usually ate them together because I liked the crackers too (I felt bad when the icing separated from the crackers in the package, because the biscuits looked so lonely on their own).
5. Airheads
I liked the strawberry Airheads, but my friends loved the mysterious white one.
This one was a favorite in the sixth grade. My friends Agnes, Sheena and Starr bought Airheads and ate them in class when the teacher wasn’t looking. While I liked strawberry and watermelon Airheads, my friends liked the white one, which dubbed itself as the “White Mystery.” Later on, I found out that the White Mystery was allegedly just one of the other available flavors (depending on the manufacturer’s whim, it could be cherry, blueberry, green apple, strawberry, orange, watermelon) without the bright colors.
awwww i miss these!! my favorites were white rabbit and curly tops
where have slush puppies gone anyway?
I used to order cola, but I had a change in taste that I now love strawberry.
iced gems is love and hawhaw I still crave for that till now.
those air heads are the coolest, I love how they color our tongues.
nostalgic!