Growing up in Ang Mo Kio: memories of Kachang Puteh

A stall selling Kachang Puteh (assorted nuts).

Taken at "Yesterday Once More" carnival at Imbiah Lookout on 25 Nov 2007.

For reasons I do not know, seeing Kachang Puteh stalls somehow reminds me that when I was a child, there used to be a few kachang puteh stalls selling kachang puteh (assorted nuts) in Ang Mo Kio Town Centre. I do not seem to see as many kachang puteh sellers in Ang Mo Kio Town Centre nowadays.

Anyway, in the past, there used to be a number of cinemas operating in Ang Mo Kio Central. These cinemas were: Broadway Cinema, Jubilee Cinema, New Town & New Crown Cinema.

Broadway Cinema
Photo credits: National Archives of Singapore. http://www.a2o.com.sg
PhotoCD Number : 19980007383
Image Number : 0109

Jubilee Cinema
Photo credits: National Archives of Singapore. http://www.a2o.com.sg
PhotoCD Number : 19980005811
Image Number : 0034

New Town and New Crown Cinema at Ang Mo Kio Town Centre
Photo credits: National Archives of Singapore, http://www.a2o.com.sg

PhotoCD Number : 19980005811
Image Number : 0033

I remember that popcorns were not quite popular in those days when I was much younger. There was a kachang puteh stall at Broadway Cinema about more than a decade ago, and I remember that one of the delights of going to the cinema was to get one serving of kachang puteh from the stall. (Admittedly, I was not so keen in watching movies than the side-perks than came with it.) There was quite a lot of variety of nuts to choose from, and just deciding which variety of nuts to choose for the day was part of the fun of ordering kachang puteh.

The funnel-like looking paper which was used to hold the kachang puteh could also bring some interesting surprises. Sometimes the paper used were just plain white paper, but at other times, there were comics on it!

In terms of affordability, I could say that the kachang puteh was much cheaper than the popcorns that are sold in cinemas of today.

If my memory does not fail me, about more than a decade ago, nearby the Jubilee Cinema, just outside the former Oriental Emporium, there was also another kachang puteh stall operating from time-to-time.

With kachang puteh stalls that operated within close proximity to the cinemas of Ang Mo Kio Town Centre, as a child, I seem to have associate kachang puteh with cinemas. Do you have similar association like mine?

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Related blog post by other bloggers worth a read:
From Kachang To Popcorn (Part 1)
From Kachang To Popcorn (Part 2)

Growing up in Ang Mo Kio: Jubilee - a place for kindergarten graduation ceremonies

JUBILEE CINEMA AT ANG MO KIO AVENUE 8 (ANG MO KIO TOWN CENTRE)
Source: National Archives of Singapore. http://www.a2o.com.sg
PhotoCD Number : 19980005811
Image Number : 0034


Today, it is common to see cineplexes where several movie-theatres are found within one building. When I was just a young child of about five to six years old, it was common for one large movie-theatre to be located within one single building. One example was the Jubilee Cinema. I still have vague impressions of the large capacity of the theatre of the Jubilee Cinema of the 1980s in my memory.

When I was six-years-old, I had my kindergarten graduation ceremony held at the Jubilee Cinema. I recall seeing many students from various classes of the nearby PAP (People's Action Party) kindergartens having their graduation ceremony there. If I remember correctly, after the graduation ceremony and the prize-giving ceremony, all those who have attended the event were treated to a cartoon movie.


JUBILEE CINEMA. 1990s.
Source: National Archives of Singapore. http://www.a2o.com.sg
PhotoCD Number : 19980007383
Image Number : 0106

Today, on the exact site where Jubilee Cinema had used to stand is Jubilee Complex. The movie-theatres in Jubilee Complex aren't as large as the movie-theatre of the Jubilee Cinema in the 1980s. However, societal needs and expectations have changed and it seems that it could be more cost-effective to operate several smaller movie-theatres than a single large movie-theatre at a given location.

One question that came to my mind as I was writing this post is: Where do the graduating PCF (PAP Community Foundation) kindergarten students from the kindergartens in Ang Mo Kio of today have their graduation ceremonies?

Please tell me if you should know the answer.


Jubilee Complex. Taken in year 2007.

Meantime, for the movie-lovers, you may wish to read From Kachang To Popcorn (Part 1) by laokokok to have an appreciation of cinemas of the past.

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First posted on Yesterday.sg