The Awesome $1 Ice-Cream Sandwich of Singapore You
Definitely CAN’T Resist!
Who knew that Singapore has an ice-cream sandwich to call her own! It boasts a wide range of exotic flavours including sweet corn, coconut, durian, red bean and yam, some very Singaporean flavours, besides the mandatory chocolate, of course.
Traditionally, the ice-cream block is wrapped with a slice of rainbow bread, but sellers have also made wafer thins and cones options to cater to different taste buds. Bread soaked in melted ice-cream just tastes so good and they both certainly make a fantastic combination.
The ice-cream sandwich is typically sold by a dark-skinned older man who has to brave the heat for hours. His stall, adorned by a huge umbrella, is actually on a modified motorcycle. He retrieves a box of ice-cream, cuts a block out (slicing the box as well), then fits it nicely in between the folds of my rainbow bread. Mmm… but watch out — it melts pretty fast due to the heat here.
Ice-cream men used to station at HDB and school areas, yelling “Hello, ice-cream, ice-cream!” and ringing their bells intermittently. Some hailed them as lifesavers as they alleviated their torment from the heat, especially in those days before the air-con had been invented.
However, as it is a dying trait, they are harder to be found today but can, thankfully, still be spotted along Orchard Road, Bugis and near the Cavenagh Bridge (the only suspension bridge and one of the oldest here) every day.
If you’re feeling adventurous, go for the Asian-style Neapolitan — a nice blend of chocolate, strawberry and sweet corn. The ice-cream man will then scoop your ice-cream, not cut it up.
Anyone could afford the ice-cream sandwich, which has been humbly priced at $1 for years. Today, though, the price has risen by about 20 cents at certain stalls. Still very affordable, I say! As a kid, most of us would get so, so excited when we hear him ringing his bell.
“Ice-cream please, Daddy?”
