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| Notorious Cinema Snacks of Yesteryear! |
by Farah 'Fairy' Mahdzan 
(11-Oct-2003) | Readers Say |
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 As a child, I watched my first few cinema movies in a stand-alone cineplex, the now defunct PJ State Theatre located in New Town PJ (Petaling Jaya) in particular. Watching movies in the cinema back in the 1980s was nothing to boast about: the sound system crackled often, the seats creaked annoyingly with age, ceiling fans were commonly used to ventilate the room, and just when you needed to find your seats the lights are turned off and you're forced to locate it in complete darkness while praying you don't grope someone by mistake. Of course, there was always that added sound effect of something going crunch crunch underneath your shoes while you're tip-toeing; no doubt you were stepping on least 10 years worth of trash left behind by previous, irresponsible movie goers. Today we enjoy a more sophisticated (and definitely cleaner!) cinematic experience usually set in mall cineplexes equipped with surround-sound systems, comfortable plush chairs, air-conditioning, and carpeted flooring. In addition, we've got those ushers dressed smartly in uniform vests tearing our tickets at the entrance with (hopefully) a smile and sporting the willingness to show you your seat should you not know how to differentiate seats "Q" from "O." And what indeed is a movie outing without you constantly itching for something to munch on? Arguably, popcorn has always been a popular choice of snack at the movies. Today however I am going to look at the top four local movie snacks that I remember from my childhood, three of which, for some reason or another, are unofficially prohibited from making their appearance in our modern cineplexes and will never ever be seen sold at the junk food counters of the cinema. And for perfectly legit reasons, too.
Snack #1 If cinema cleaners ever had enemies, kuaci would be on top of their list! The sunflower seeds are mighty addictive; expert kuaci eaters would skillfully crack the seeds from out of their black-and-white shells by systematically propping one shell between their teeth and applying some pressure on it, causing the tasty seed inside to pop out and into the mouth. Discarding kuaci shells for some folks meant spitting them out onto the floor, which pretty much explains the crunching noise I heard as I walked in those old cinemas. Eating kuaci can really amount up to a lot of mess for people who have to sweep the cinema floors. Furthermore, listening to people crack kuaci throughout your movie isn't exactly music to the ears; if anything it's down right irritating. And of course when the movie-going kuaci eater sitting behind you starts flicking his used kuaci shells into your hair, it warrants and justifies the actions of cold blooded murder. No wonder kuaci has been banned from being sold in the cineplexes today: too much bloodshed involved.
Snack #2 Oh please, if kuaci didn't quite make the cut as being an acceptable cinema snack by authorities, whatever made you think people are going to close their eyes (and noses!) on this particular finger food? Sotong kering or dried cuttlefish slices, while mouth-wateringly delicious especially when lightly coated with sugar (hmm, my favorite), is an air pollution hazard that must be avoided at all cost if you don't want to be mobbed by group of protesting and angry movie-goers. The offensive odor that the sotong kering emits is enough to knock down a herd of cows into coma, so eating it in a closed and air-conditioned space isn't exactly the best way to win friends or impress that someone special. Strangely enough sotong kering is one of those snacks that taste so good that it totally negates its awful smell! I honestly can't quite explain the irony; the stuff is just delectable and admittedly one of acquired taste. Foolishly smuggling in a pack of sotong kering is just as sure in gaining notorious reputation as the gross fellow who ill-fatedly decided to sit right next to you and take off his worn and tattered sports shoes, revealing socks that couldn't have possibly ever seen the insides of a washing machine. I swear there are actually people like these who seem to think we take great pleasure in smelling their cheesy, blistery feet. Why don't they just rub their feet in sotong kering while they're at it so that we can all die a quick yet painful death?
I don't care how much you like dried squid or fish; just don't go around bringing sotong kering into the cinema; I cannot stress this enough. Save them for tea time at the office.
Snack #3 Yet another rarely seen cinema snack; you will seldom find folks stuffing these things under their jackets as they enter the cinemas: the asam and jeruk, or pickled fruits. Hmm, but then again, how can I be so sure? Hundreds of packets of jeruk are probably secretly brought into the cineplexes every week for all I know. After all, you'll need some sort of jolt during those boring scenes of that romantic comedy your girlfriend picked out to watch; what better way than to pop a few slices of jeruk mangga into your mouth?
At any rate, even if we are deprived the privilege of enjoying the sour taste of pungent-smelling vinegared fruits in the cinema complex, that doesn't mean we Malaysians can't occasionally indulge ourselves in a plastic packet of pickled mangoes or oranges once in a while at the pasar malam (night markets).
Snack #4Closing off on a less dramatic note, I briefly present you these wheel-shaped snacks that were among my favorite things to get whenever I went to watch movies with the family.
Tasting a few chips made me wonder why exactly I liked them; if you ever want to simulate the taste of these "Spin" chips, try chewing on bits of A4 paper. Hell, snacking on paper probably produces more flavor than these bland "Spinners." I bet you it was the attractive red cone, if not anything else, that enticed my appetite for these tasteless buggers. But in the name of nostalgia, I mustered the courage to swallow the already chewed-up bits in my mouth. Oh I know; my death-defying acts shock even myself. If you haven't realized my motto by now it's this: I eat bad junk food and write about 'em so you don't have to!
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| WHAT READERS SAY ABOUT Notorious Cinema Snacks of Yesteryear!: |
#39. hi fai.. i would like to post this message on the "project pop" article, tapi tak boleh, so i post here ok... masa gugum 3rd appearance (menit 3:02), he like looking downwards, & theres a green shirt gurl like kneeling abit with mouth totally shut.. do you think what i think? man i love indonesian mtv's!... & yah.. was just kidding bout the tetra pack autograph, but would really like to go to indonesia with someone that knows indonesia pretty well. Posted by bottled_tea on 6-Nov-2003, 23:51 MYT
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In my book, asam probably carries the same sort of shocking status and smell as those of the dried squid snacks, though on a slightly lesser degree.
"Spin" is a potato-based snack that comes packaged in a red cone and plastic.
I remember them especially because I would always want one at the movies;
sort of a substitute for popcorn, if you will. I recently rediscovered
"Spin" at a rest area in Penang on the way back to PJ from Perlis after
more than a decade of not seeing them being sold anywhere.
Good thing is that we can eat it freely in our cinema's