When I was in kindergarten, my great-grandma (Ah Chor) would carry me or hold my hands and walk to the Cheng San wet market (it was way bigger before the latest renovation) for grocery-shopping every morning as we lived only a few blocks away. After which, Ah Chor liked to spoil me with a bowl of cold Cheng Tng from this particular stall. I complained to her constantly that I want Ice Kachang because there were no "attap chi" in the boring Cheng Tng. Never once did she give in to me.
However, one incident happened and changed my view of the unassuming Cheng Tng. There was once when my Ah Chor needed to search for some loose change to pay for the vegetables. She let go of my hands and I was tempted to get the Ice Kachang by myself. 😅 While she was distracted, I braved the morning market crowd and made a beeline for the dessert stall. To my greatest horror, I failed to find the stall despite running a few rounds (I forgot to mention I was only 6 years old). That was when the reality that I had lost my Ah Chor hit me. I cried and shouted "I want Cheng Tng and I want Ah Chor!!" hysterically in Chinese.
After a few minutes of drama, somebody grabbed my hand. There stood the Cheng Tng Auntie, coaxing me to stop crying with a bowl of ice cold Cheng Tng. Not sure why, but I felt secure seeing her. The boring Cheng Tng which I took for granted, suddenly become super sweet and comforting.
And yes, Ah Chor managed to find me in the end. Ah Chor is not around anymore, but I went back to the stall with my grandma and mum recently. So glad to see Auntie still selling the same desserts, served in the same yellow bowl with the same metal spoon. All of us had a brief chat with her and laughed at the above incident which happened 22 years ago. Of course, we had to order her legendary Cheng Tng - the magical dessert that had the power to calm the nerve of the "lost" child. #HawkerPedia

春寶, Chun Bao Dessert Stall. #01-136.
Cheng San Market and Cooked Food Centre
Blk 527 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10
Singapore 560527
Opening hours - Not fixed