I spent my childhood growing
up in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam in the 80's. I spent most of my time in my
mum's garden. We had a big wild garden that provided most of our food, wild
veggies, fruit and protein sources like snails, snakes, fish, frogs, etc.
My mum was the hunter and
she'd do anything to put food on the table for her family. Every morning she
would take a bamboo basket and disappeared into the garden. She would come back
with edible ingredients for fresh food that day and some ripe fruits like
guavas, bananas or papaya as a treat for us when we were young.
Very often the neighbours
kids secretly came into our garden to collect ferns, baby wasp or ants to use
as bait to catch fish. I remember I was standing there staring at them, saying
nothing but they looked really uncomfortable for being in my place and taking
our food. The tension was high because they were taking our food and we were
very poor.
And they still came again
when they needed to and I would follow and stared at them if I saw them. Even
so they always knew the rules not to cross, they never collect anything that my
parents planted even it has more value. They collected anything grows from
nature that my parents didn't have to put labour into. We lived in harmony with
people and nature like that.
Vietnam was so poor, food
was scarce after the war and later on the sanction came from the West.
Looking back now I feel so
lucky to have been living that experience. This time coming back with my kids
it's so different. I still have those memories so clear like yesterday but
things have changed. The garden is much better cared for now and so many more
fruits mum and dad continue to plant together. They are much older now and
spending time in the garden is more like a hobby after many years of hard work
to bring up three children. The garden is still producing lots of food and my
mum often gives it away to our neighbours and relatives when she visits them.
It's wonderful to see the garden thrive and brings so much joy, food and love
to my family. It's the place of memory, of childhood and so much more.
Clock wise: Limes, coconut tree with young coconuts, noni or Indian Mulberry, pomelos.
Dragon fruits,
papayas( it's more than 5meters high so mum just leaves the ripe fruits for
birds and bats).
Spring onions and lemongrass.
Yu choi ( similar to bokchoi), edible wild ferns, aloe vera, turmeric.
Spondias dulcis
or June plum, golden apple, ambarella and many other names for this kind of
fruit, jackfruits, lagerstroemia blooming, Portulaca grandiflora on foot path
side.
