You can literally taste the 90s
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Admittedly, the ~90s aesthetic~ is cool again. Everyone’s suddenly gone retro with all these neon clothes, old-school showbiz Chika (gossip) and remakes of unforgettable films. (He is everything was a dud, sorry.) Being stuck in our homes during the pandemic has compounded that.
Plenty of accounts have popped up lately to feed that nostalgia, and we’re not complaining. One of them is the hilarious and often racy 90skabaklaan on Instagram, who did an impeccable job during their heyday, digging up old film clips and high-quality photoshoots of stars – both popular and obscure.
90skabaklaan, who is Viktor in real life, said: “Most of the images are from my personal vintage magazine collection. Last June I noticed that the sites are deteriorating, and sayang naman if hindi mapo post (I’d be a waste if I don’t share them online). So that’s how it all started.”
“Through my content, I highlight Pinoy pop culture references that made me Bakla (Happy). I think the 90’s are such a fun decade. I don’t intend to belittle the struggles and problematic ideologies of that era, but I just really want to look back and reflect on how easy, unpretentious, and fun that decade was. I think some people like the idea too.”
Working offline in finance, he started his treasure trove of an Instagram account as a creative outlet. Though he’s in his late 20s, he grew up in the provinces with older cousins — which greatly contributed to the decade’s impact on him.
Viktor even recalled some of his favorite childhood snacks, set against the backdrop of his youth, also known the simpler times. Take a trip down memory lane with him by ordering these online:
Cindy’s Palabok
Arguably her signature dish, Cindy’s Palabok is my favorite fast food take on this classic merienda (Snack). It’s also a sentimental favorite; Mom would take me to Cindy’s when I got my report card every quarter.
(An alternative is Tropical Hut’s.)
Nutri Star chips

Okay, there’s nothing nutritious about it. It’s just an old fashioned one Chihirya (Chips) with star-shaped pieces of wheat starch and cassava starch. But the Chicken BBQ flavor is pretty good!
Iced Gems Cookies

The Iced Gems cookies are probably the most colorful on this list. They are small, round biscuits with a drop of colored icing on top. As a child I always thought that every color tasted different. LOL!
Regent Pudding Cake

A staple in every lunch box (and on field trips!). I still remember the fluffy sponge cake filled with icing. They have other flavors but pudding is the most popular.
burger machine

I grew up around a lot of older cousins, and a typical Friday night would look like this: go to Video City, rent a VHS (4+1 promo on Friday!), stop by Burger Machine to order footlongs and burgers, then watch a horror movie altogether! Miss those days!
Curly tops

As a kid, I preferred curly tops to flat tops. (Now I just want tops, LOL!) The experience of opening the box and carefully unwrapping the chocolates is so nostalgic. Plus, it’s also proudly Pinoy-made!
“Nostalgia is a calming thing,” Viktor said. Like him, there’s nothing wrong with having occasional mental escapes to better times to deal with the ongoing insecurities. We all need a break, honestly. – Rappler.com