There is a little shop just round the corner from my house, probably just a couple of hundred metres away, that sells fresh meat, fish and vegetables in the morning and fruits and all kinds of other stuff the rest of the day. In a way, it is a sort of mini-market and I do drop by their time and again because it is so convenient. I will not have to go all the way to the main Sibu Central Market or the smaller ones in the other parts of town and other than the petrol, I can save on the parking fee too – it is over 40 sen for half an hour here.
Well, I was there sometime ago buying some made-in-Sarikei lung ngor (that I find are the closest to what I used to enjoy when I was a kid) when my neighbour, also a retired teacher, happened to pass by. She stopped to chat and while we were talking about what we were buying, she exclaimed, “Hey! Aren’t you buying these?”
Then she went on, “Do you remember how we used to love eating this cake so much when we were small?”
Well, to be honest, I cannot remember ever eating that. LOL!!! But I do remember seeing them a lot – packed in the same longish manner but wrapped with white translucent paper, the type people use to make kites. People in those days did not use plastic and that certainly was a lot more environment friendly than what people do today.
However, I do not quite recall actually eating it and enjoying it a lot. Maybe it was because my mother could make cakes and needless to say, hers were a whole lot nicer so we never had to eat those.
If I’m not mistaken, these are actually one whole cake cut into cubes…
…and arranged nicely, one on top of the other, with a bit of jam spread in between them.
They are not really nice, if you ask me – not soft like the cakes that I’m more accustomed to and I detect a strong scent of essence in it…
…but I bought one that day and took it home.
It must have triggered off some pleasant memories in my missus for she has been buying them quite regularly since then…probably because of the sentimental value attached or perhaps, unlike me, she actually does enjoy eating them.
I think if you give this to the young people today, they’d probably take a bite and spit it all out, what with their over-spoilt, over-pampered taste buds accustomed to stuff like the ultra-expensive rich and creamy cheesecakes and what not… What do you all think?
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 
Dont know or have sentimental journey but yes heard of Sentimental Friend singing ‘On the floor, the people dance around, Moving close together..’
You don’t know? Very old song but I know Ringo Starr (Beatles) sang it once. Well, there’s also “Sentimental Me” – you know that one? Elvis Presley!
Ringo who and what Pelvis? Bananaz not born then how to know kakaka.. Seriously never heard Elvis & Ringo singing the songs you mentioned. Not a huge fan of Elvis in the earlier days coz of Beatlemania but only started to like him in the 70s and can remember well ‘It Dont Come Easy’ for Ringo.~;)..
Ok…ok…I know lah! You so young…only know the BeeGees! Muahahahaha!!!! 😀
Not all kids will do that we do have poor kids in town like this overgrown kid Bananaz will promise not to spit out, beggars cannot be choosy.
You? That’s very true in my case though… Missus buys, I will also eat – not much choice, too poor to afford anything nicer. Hehehehehe!
I think I saw this kind of cake selling out there,but never try it out…..
Old school…from the 50s or 60s. You probably would not like it especially with all the nice cakes you bring back from Indonesia.
I have never seen cakes packed like that but have seen similar looking ones. I used to like eating a cake like bahulu which cost only 20sen each sold by those Roti Bai until someone told me that they used broken eggs which aren’t fresh to make those cakes…but I still like them and would buy them every now and then..hehehe.
To your last question, I think my son would probably still eat the unglamorous cakes although he would say something like,”this cake is so dry”.
…and hard and does not taste good! LOL!!! Sigh!!! I’ve stopped buying banana cake ever since somebody told me that the bakeries go round to the fruit sellers and buy the rotten ones to make them. 😦
Really kah? They used rotten fruits and eggs to bake the cakes? Eyewwww…. lucky I’m not really into those~!
I’m not surprised. These business people, anything to make more profit bah! Well, as they say, what you don’t see will not hurt you…so if nobody makes for you and you want to eat it so much, you will just have to go and buy. No choice… 😦
Haha! Used to buy them too, but I think last time in between the layers they put cream? It was very nice! My kids still enjoy the local cakes back home like ‘apong balek’, kau-teng….also the simple kompia and the ‘white kor’ in layers wrapped in pink wrappers…….
I saw the’white kor’ the other day dotted with black toasted sesame seeds. I did not buy as I’m not crazy about those. They also give the layered pink and white ones on a baby’s full moon…and like the kau teng koi, I also loved peeling off layer by layer and eating one by one… Ah!!! The simple pleasures in life way back then…
I have never seen these before but I guess ppl from the older generation are more easily contented than ppl today. Also because last time do not have as much choices as we have today.
I guess so…and people in the old days were more prudent – scrimped and saved every cent they could spare.
My mum can bake cakes and cookies, and she made them by the dozen to feed me and my sister when we were young… she baked those goodies til we muak….so we never had to buy these too…bought before, tarak sedap pun. =.=
I guess that’s why I can’t recall eating these when I was young.
remind me when at kebun buah. My grandpa always buy this and we eat it during breakfast before collecting durians.
Those were the days eh? 😉
Steamed Egg cake, I call it …. last time my mum used to make this type of cake when I was young.. those days, no money to buy oven, everything steam steam one.. so i remember my mum beating the egg till it turned fluffy and then steamed in the wok… yes, very nice… now they are selling one piece for RM1.20 in old town …
Nope…not steamed. These are baked, I’m sure. I know the steamed egg cake you are talking about. These days, the ones they sell here are green in colour – I think they add pandan. I like the savoury ones where they add fried onions and minced meat…. Yum!!!! 😀
my granny used to buy these. But sampai my time tarak buy already coz the cake kept getting to be extremely sweet. May be more sugar the cake can tahan longer ah?
These not really sweet but have a strong essence fragrance. I tambah peanut butter and ate…very nice! Hehehehehe!!!!
Oh!…my childhood goodies. During our time, consider good loh if we can get to eat these…in between a bit of kaya or jam….but nowadays youngster would say cheapskate punya cake…hehehehe!….
RM1.70 not cheap or…. Buy the nice cupcakes in my post the other day, even the not-as-nice RM1.50 for two ones – still have 20 sen change.
Lol, what do you have against young people? =p , had something similar to this when I was younger. Janice still buys these from the bakery sometimes. 🙂
Hehehehehe!!! No leh? Young people these days, so hor mia mah! Get to eat all the nice stuff that we did not have to eat when we were young, so deprived. Like somebody commented on Facebook, “Ai see! Ko u lang bay meh?” (Still got people buy?)
Hahaha… boh laku liao.. =p
LOL!!! No worries… There will still be people buying them. 😉
Hmmm!!!…parking fee in Sibu is more x’pensive than in Kuching. Oh!…Foochow people in Sibu kaya raya. In Kuching, 20 sen for 1st half hours followed by 50 sen for another subsequent half hour.
Yup, it is! That was why when it was 1st implemented, everyone complained…but the fees stayed and by now, everyone’s used to it – like the bridge toll. Never mind what day, what time – all full…no parking space. That’s why I don’t like to go to town.
Not seen this before, but i had something similar, in between they put cream, instead of jam, I always call it “ice cream cake”. My grandmother use to buy for me from the morning market, i will split it two, and lick the cream in the center, then only eat the cake. When i went back last round, i saw, i bought but the taste no more the same. 😦
Yup…I think before they had cream…but now it seems that they just put a little bit of jam instead. Not the same anymore, eh? 😦 Nothing stays the same…
I am very sure I would love this, IF not dry.
It is! You will not like it… Maybe that was why my mum never bought this for us to eat when we were small. Better stick to lung ngor! Muahahahaha!!!!
wah…walk down memory lane…or taste! hehehe… Yes, very young people like me will just toss it away. oppss…
Yalor…you young people plus work in SINgapore some more, so kaya…where go want to eat this? 😉
that looks yummy!
Not really.
I used to buy this from the Roti Man on bikes….
When you were very very young, of course… 😉
Not my thing either.
I’ll have kompia anytime! =)
Yup! That would definitely be a much better choice… 😉
it looks spingy n fluffy from the outside but after saw the one cut in half, yea can see the texture not dat soft. 😦
Nope, it is quite hard actually. Not something I would go out of my way and buy to eat…
noooooo!!!
my favourite!!! & lonngor too. sighh…
Was back at Kuching the other day for a friend’s wedding. Just could not find any of those you mentioned…
Eyewwwww!!!! You like? Hahahahaha!!! If I go KL again, I’ll bring some for you and lung ngor too. 😉
wow… i can’t even find these cakes here in KL… it must have been a dying trade.
I guess so. Even these, we get from a bakery in a smaller town nearby – none that I know of that are made locally…