Growing up, I mostly only wandered around my neighborhood at Bukit Gombak. McDonald's was not that ubiquitous back then, and to my family, it was a luxury item. Being prudent with money, fast food was never on the family menu. What I had instead was "orange bee hoon", or at least that's what I excitedly shouted to mum whenever I wanted something fast and filling. Needless to say, this putu mayam was tasty enough for a kid to keep asking for it endlessly. Mum would buy it back, set the steamed vermicelli-like noodles on a metal plate, then sprinkle it with the snowiest coconut shavings and fairy dust orange sugar that never failed to give me a sugar rush thereafter. Yes, I may not have known McDonald's and Happy Meals till secondary school, but happiness came in other forms. Hawker fare and comfort food was one. Winning my mum's approval and seeing her beautiful smile whenever she tossed up putu mayam for the excited puppy by her side? That kind of happiness and bliss, money cannot buy. My kind of happy meal, literally. #Hawkerpedia