Childhood Sweets

ALOHA, Play Mate

click on the memories of childhood

Kids here in Hawaii, like children everywhere love their treats.

"We worry about what a child will become tomorrow,

yet we forget

that he is someone today."

Stacia Tauscher

This still makes me salivate,

taking me back to chocolate bliss

that could blot out all my troubles.

Ah for the days of waxed paper, before the crinkly cellophane!

And their blueberry pies...

*Sigh*

Maybe you lived in New England,

and it was NECCO Wafers

(New England Confectionery Company).

Or SKY BARS!

"Life is uncertain.

Eat dessert first."

Ernestine Ulmer

This one's for you, Travis, and all our friends throughout the south.

"Forget love

I'd rather fall in

Chocolate!"

Sandra J. Dykes

Well, in Hawaii, people of a certain age grew up with

Yick Lung Cracked Seed.

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The Chinese people who came to Hawaii

at King Kalakaua's invitation

were hard-working enough to work the plantations,

but they were too smart and ambitious to remain labor for long.

Completing their employment contracts,

many of them moved to Honolulu

and started prosperous businesses that were among the shoots of modern Hawaii.

Now chocolate tends to melt in the tropics,

at least it did until Milton Hershey's alchemy

rendered it suitable for American troops

to enjoy, barter, and share in WWII. . .

But where was I?

Oh yeah, treats in Hawaii, like mangoes,

bananas and sugar cane. . .

The Chinese had a long tradition of preserved fruit snacks,

See Mui,

and Cantonese immigrants to the the kingdom

first imported and sold it here

over a hundred years ago.

It was the local Yee family

that is credited with adding their own flavorings

and spices, and creating the local treats

familiar to generations of isle children

of all ages:

Rock Salt Plum was created

when rock salt was added to preserved plums.

A sweet/sour mixture became the famous

Ling Hin Mui

which today flavors upscale martini's

in downtown Honolulu.

You can find Li Hing Teddy Bears, Li Hing Tequila

(home-flavored) all around these islands.

It's sort of one of the flavors of Hawaii,

and as you can see, not just for kids anymore.

One variety of preserved plum arrived complete with pits.

The family cracked the seeds open with hammers

to expose the inner kernel,

which gave rise to the categorical name

of all these local snacks:

Crack Seed.

There is quite a good crack seed shop

at Ala Moana Shopping Center, where you can buy many varieties in bulk directly from big apothecary jars.

The Yees

are considered the first to repackage the treats

(that they imported in bulk, and flavored themselves)

so that they could be sold in retail outlets under their

Yick Lung brand, which translates as: "profitable enterprise."

During the 1960's and 1970's

they even had a jingle and TV commercials.

So here's to Sweeties!

To sticky fingers and small-kid-times.

May this May

be very sweet

to

YOU :) cloudia

Here are some related links to drool over:

Nostalgic Candies

Candy Bars Worth Crossing State Lines For

British Sweeties

Malaysia Treats

Li Hing EVERYTHING!