Crack Seed

When we were kids, we used to visit the crack seed store and buy ourselves a nickel’s worth of Chinese preserved plums.

There was a great variety of them in huge glass jars and we would tell the store owner which one we wanted and how much we had to spend (usually a nickel). He (or she) would scoop out about a half dozen or so and weigh them, dropping them into a small brown paper bag.

After biting/scraping off all of the delicious dark fruit (salty or sweet or sour or a combination of sorts), we’d chew the paper until all the flavor had disappeared.

Sometimes they’d come pre-measured in cellophane bags, in which case we’d squeeze and squeeze and squeeze until all of the remnants were consumed.

It’s been a while since I’ve had crack seed, until one day recently, a package of pre-wrapped seeds caught my eye – “chan pui mui,” it said. So I bought a package, distributed the contents to those in my family, and kept a few for myself.

I’ve always said crack seed looks pretty unappetizing, and the chan pui mui was no exception. See how much it resembles horsey doo? Small horsey doo, as the seeds are only about an inch in diameter.

But boy, does it taste good! Crack seed … a blast from the past.