The jingling of candy from the old days

Việt Nam•05/05/2024

The legendary candy cart – always a source of curiosity for generations of children.

Sweet memories of childhood

Perhaps the greatest gift of life is childhood memories. This morning, I was transported back to my childhood with games like hopscotch, marbles, gathering in groups to pick leaves for cooking, and sneaking out in the sun to pick wild berries. I also remembered chasing after the candy vendor's bicycle until I was out of breath, then slowly savoring each bite to prolong the sweet taste…

Back then, life was hard, and snacks weren't abundant. Therefore, taffy was the most popular street food. Just one small, long piece of candy would be shared among five or six children, who would happily eat it together.

After diligently doing chores or getting many perfect scores, we were occasionally rewarded with money by our parents to buy taffy. Sometimes, the whole group would go scavenging for scrap metal, copper, aluminum and plastic, broken sandals... and even bullet casings to trade for ice cream and taffy.

I have to say, back then we knew how to find ways to enjoy that "magical" taffy together. Once we got the candy, to prolong the enjoyment and prevent the joy from fading quickly, we all savored it slowly. Some wanted to satisfy their craving, chewing on whole pieces of candy with a satisfying crunch – it was very delicious.

Taffy candy never gets any tastier…

Children nowadays rarely have the opportunity to enjoy taffy candy. This is partly because in supermarkets and grocery stores, similar candies are sold in small, pre-packaged bars. Furthermore, the traditional taffy candy carts have largely disappeared from city streets and village roads.

And yet, this morning, I heard the familiar jingling sound and the vendor's cry again. The best part was when the candy cart stopped, and many children surrounded the candy container – the container itself still seemed like a magical box.

*I was engrossed in watching every move of the candy vendor.*

Children today are just like we were back then, each one captivated by every move of the "candy vendor." From the moment he lifts the lid of the container, takes out the white muslin cloth to protect his hands, and begins pulling the long candy from the white mass inside.

Just a few minutes later, each child received a taffy stick, which they ate with relish – the delicate sweetness of the perfectly cooked sugar combined with the aroma of ginger and peanuts was irresistibly appealing to any child.

When I was a child, I thought making taffy was something magical. You had to heat the sugar until it melted, then knead it quickly and pliably to shape it. There were even rumors that you had to soak rice grains and sprout them to make taffy.

I later learned that the traditional Vietnamese taffy candy, just like today, was made with sugar and water, with a little peanut filling added – and that was it.

For delicious taffy candy, all stages of candy making and peanut roasting must be done over a wood fire. In particular, the candy maker must monitor the weather; if it's too hot, the sugar will melt, rendering the candy unusable. Therefore, people usually make the candy early in the morning when the weather is still cool and pleasant.

Next, pour the sugar onto a greased plastic wrap. Wait for the sugar to cool slightly, then stretch it out with your hands, fold it back, and knead until the sugar is very pliable and white in color.

Nowadays, every dish needs to be delicious, beautiful, and unique. Even traditional dishes like taffy candy have to strive for "improvement," "creativity," and "aesthetics."

How touching it is that these taffy candies still retain their original shape and flavor, like a gift for middle-aged people like us, evoking nostalgic memories of our distant childhoods.

Time keeps flowing on. The skies of youth, even childhood memories, will become a quiet space, worn down by the vicissitudes of life... What was your childhood like? Was it a time similar to ours? Do you remember?

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