Summer is upon us and summer holidays for most kids. Parents are subjected to kids at home, hungry more often than not. Food at the right times is soon replaced by food every two hours.

When we were kids, my mum used to stock varieties of biscuits and chips to assuage our appetites. High in salt and sugar we ate them without peadtricians and doctors crying foul that we were given too much sugar or too much salt and that we would get hyperactive or run around in circles. Probably we already had so much activity in our lives that we would burn off everything we ate without the food causing much behavioral change. We used to even sneak off two to three bars of chocolates (yes bars!) which a lot of peads and parents alike would frown on now. Yes our teeth would rot, fall, tummies would get upset, and also get sick. But hey we ate anyway without supervision and no one so much as batted an eyelid.

Try doing this to your kids today and you are a horrible parent with no sense of what to feed your kids – chocolate bars are replaced by fruit, chips are replaced by ‘Makhna’, biscuits are replaced by saltless crackers and porridge (bleh). I feel for today’s generation. They don’t have half as much fun as we had as kids – loading up on carbs and sugar.

I did a quick whatsapp survey with my foodie friends on their childhood snacks, of what reminds them of their childhood and i got some interesting responses – written in true whatsapp style.

Mirchi Bhajiya – Deep friend chillies in batter, stuffed with potatoes, ‘besan’, mix vegetables. Hot and piping to be eaten with tea. More fun to eat during the summers.

Masala Maggi with lots of butter, and if you are fairly unlucky – with vegetables you had rather avoid as a kid

Bread Bonda: Bread roll deep friend stuffed with potatoes

Bread and Jam: lots of sweet jam

Parle G biscuits by the kilo

Fryums! – How can one forget fryums

Or Uncle Chips – which make your fingers red, laced with spicy tomato powder

Or Binaca Chips – (what is that though?)

Roadside tripe schezwan – red saucy with a generous helping of egg (oh lets go right now and eat…)

Peppy

Cadbury’s Double Decker chocolate  (someone bring this beautiful chocolate back!)

Pickwick biscuits – all flavours. but the chocolate was the best.

Ravalgaon toffees

Kismi toffees

Phantom cigars

Chatar matar

“Mere liye Rasna”

Frooti and Appy still live on!

Kissan Jam

Melody hai chocolatey

Poppins – has made a comeback

Gold Spot!

Nutties!

What are your favourite treats as kids? Am i missing something in the list?