Growing up, I mostly only wandered around my neighborhood at Bukit Gombak. MacDonald's was not that ubiquitous back then, and to my family it was a luxury item. Being spendthrift, 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, it was tasty for a kid to keep asking for it endlessly — putu mayam. 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 fails to give me that sugar rush thereafter. Yes, I may not know MacDonald's till secondary school, but happiness can come in many forms. Hawker fare and comfort food is one. Winning my mum's approval and her beautiful smile when she tosses my putu mayam up for the excited puppy by her side? That's happiness, bliss and something money cannot buy. My kind of happy meal, literally. #Hawkerpedia