Today we no long can see a man selling sotong tumbok by a cinema in Sibu. It was a thrill for us to spend 15 cents of our precious pocket money to buy this snack from the friendly Malay man who sat on his low stool, fan his charcoal fire and patiently roasted the dried squids. The moment a customer came by he would pound a squid with his pestle and mortar. Soon enough the little customer would skip along the five foot way along Blacksmith road, happy with a small pounded piece of sotong bakar dipped in red and sweet chilli sauce, after that delicious first bite.
The sotong toasted over his charcoal fire just smelled so good in the air and we were attracted to go near him. Some of us who had some money would buy from him one small piece. Others would just watch, and as the proverb goes, "No cents to rub against each other in the pocket".
The chilli sauce was very special and he had prepared a common bowl for the buyers to dip the pounded toasted squid into it. In those days, a hawker would not have plastic bags for his customers. I remember we just stood by him and ate what we bought.
Besides as kids, we never realised then if any one DOUBLE DIPPED when savouring our sotong bakar and the sweet chilli sauce!
Many Foochows in those days did not have chilli sauce at home, be it bottled or freshly pounded. I never remember my mother pounding chllies when she cooked. She did not even add sliced chillies into her stir fried kang kong!!
The end of the year would make me feel nostaligic for sotong bakar. If only time could be rewound, I would really like to have just one day in Sibu in the early 60's, to go for a movie with friends and then have some sotong bakar after the movie.
What a great double treat it would be.
Today Dried Squid is RM100 per kg. a price which is beyond many people's budget.
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