Sibut Tales : Taro Cakes

It is always very exciting to plant some taro or bilong wo for the Chinese new year.

Wo is very important for the Chinese and especially for the Foochows. It is a good staple but it makes a very good cake, called taro cake.

Foochow housewives are particularly good at making steamed taro cake. This cake is usually home maed but it can also be found in many outlets, usually sold in small pieces.

Taro or yam cakes today are rather pricey because it is hard to plant taro.

After the Japanese Occupation, many families were hard pressed for cash. Women struggled hard to earn little bit more. So they started making steamed cakes, especially yam cakes for sale in the town. Perhaps as a result of supply and demand, many hawkers started to pedal their cakes, from their bicycles or from their three wheelers. some sold at street corners like the one at Market Road/Island Road.

There were more than four hawkers selling cakes at that famous corner in the 60's. Many people who have travelled early from downriver, would catch a bit of breakfast for less than a dollar - just standing at the corner, drinking soy bean milk, and have a piece of taro cake.