00:00That's not what I want.
00:06Ah, there you are.
00:15Hi, I'm John, and welcome to 9 to 12.
00:19If you grew up in Singapore, you may remember a man with a cart piled high with nuts and paper
00:24cones.
00:25That was the Kachang Puti Man.
00:27For decades, you could find these sellers all over Singapore.
00:31But today, I'm going to meet one of the very last.
00:38Mr. Mutti, how did you end up here in Kopayo?
00:41Last time, I was at Peace Center, building Damalis.
00:45I hear SPS Transit gave you an opportunity?
00:48Yeah. After the SPS Transport Manager came to ask you, Mutti, you want Kopayo selling?
00:54How long were you working in Peace Center?
00:56Peace Center, I was working for 10 years. My father, 20 years.
00:59Wow, 30 years.
01:00Did you know Kachang Puti was once sold outside basically every cinema in Singapore?
01:05Before Popcorn came along, it was the go-to snack for movie watchers.
01:08It was so iconic that it was nicknamed Singapore's Popcorn.
01:12Mr. Mutti, I want to know a little bit more about the items you have here.
01:15Yeah.
01:15Is one like the best seller?
01:17Best seller, cashew nut, chickpeas.
01:21Yes.
01:22And then sometimes you'll mix all the different kinds, right?
01:24Into one cone.
01:25You have the salted, you have the sweet, you have the spicy, and it all comes together.
01:29Oh, that's great.
01:30So you handmade the cones, you also make these yourself, right?
01:32Everything?
01:33And you make new every day.
01:34Yeah, yeah. One week, one time making.
01:36Wow.
01:36Can I try to make one of the cones with you?
01:38Okay, I can.
01:39Can you show me?
01:40Yeah.
01:42Okay.
01:43Oh, okay.
01:44Okay.
01:46Okay.
01:46Oh, not bad?
01:47Not good?
01:48Not good, not good.
01:49I think my Kachang Puti will fall right out.
01:51Did you know Mr. Mutti is considered to be one of the very last Kachang Puti sellers in Singapore?
01:56It's a trade that has been declining over the years.
01:59Three generations of tradition could rest on one man at one kiosk.
02:05Kachang Puti!
02:07Kachang Puti!
02:09Thank you, Mr. Mutti.
02:11Bye-bye.
02:11Welcome. Bye.
02:12From a kampung in Naogang to a bus interchange at Opayo, the location may have changed, but the recipe stays
02:18exactly the same.
02:19Three generations, the same paper cone.
02:22Some things are worth keeping exactly how they are.
02:25One man, a handful of nuts, and years of showing up long after the cinema's closed.
02:30So here's my question.
02:32Do you have a favorite snack that you would not want to disappear?
02:38See you next time on 9 to 12.
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