Back in my primary and secondary school days, I'd look forward to the term holidays like any other kid. Not just because I could finally kick back and not have to worry about homework (for at least the first few days or weeks until I started to panic from the impending reopening of school gates), but also because I could get up a bit later to eat breakfast with my late grandma, whom I would call "mama". She would always ask me the night before what I wanted to eat for breakfast the next day, before reciting a whole list of items I could choose from, like cai dau kueh (carrot cake) or char siew pau (steamed pork bun). But I'd always choose my favourite — mi ciam kueh (pancake with peanut or red bean filling). I just loved the dense pancake, slathered with silky smooth red bean paste or crunchy peanuts in between. The next morning, she would walk all the way to the market just to buy what we wanted to eat, despite her having a difficult time walking, just so we'd be able to eat our favourite dishes from the market at our breakfast table together.

I never got to tell her this, but whatever food we had for breakfast didn't matter; what mattered to me was being able to eat with her by my side. Now whenever my mom buys back some mi ciam kueh, it always brings back good memories of stories and laughs we had at the breakfast table with mama. Mi ciam kueh always tasted sweeter when she was around, and I'm always thankful for the sweet memories I had with her. #Hawkerpedia