The street

Sugarcane-juice cart

The sugarcane cart usually stood on a busy corner, near a school gate or a bus stop. The seller fed a stalk between two iron rollers, the machine rumbled, and pale green juice gushed into a glass. He often squeezed in a few small kumquats, whose sourness made the drink smell fresher.

With chunks of ice the glass was cold enough to numb your fingers, and half of it vanished in one long sip. Kids loved watching a stalk get pulled in and pressed again and again until the pulp came out dry as paper, which was almost better than the drink. A glass of cane juice on the kerb while waiting for a bus is a coolness that stays with you.

Do you remember? Do you take your cane juice with kumquat, or just ice?

💬 Everyone's memories

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