Ice ball — straight from the hands
BEFORE premium ice cream and tiramisu, there was the humble ice ball. Cheap and delicious, it was a delightful treat.
Ice ball vendors would create crushed ice from huge slabs of ice, and use their hands to sculpt it into a small ball. Modern versions of these ice grinders can still be found at hawker centres — if the dessert stall offers ice kachang, you'll probably see it.
Syrup was drizzled liberally all over the ice ball — in bright enticing colours like green and red.
A dash of sweetly concentrated condensed milk was added to the concoction, and sometimes a few attap seeds or mashed red beans were stuffed inside the ball for a more flavourful treat.
The ball would then be handed over to the buyer who would slurp it straight from the hands.
No gloves, cups or cones were used in those days.
For youngsters, the balls, costing three to five cents each, were a rare treat.
Later, the prices rose to 10 cents a ball.
Certainly a far cry from the $10 tubs of ice cream one picks up from the supermarket these days
Taken from The Straits Times
