First congratulations for your published article in Catapult. Second thank for this amazing post, I really appreciate how you can be content even in the midst of scarcity, it is a lesson that we all can learn. It is sad that living in the USA one of the richest countries in the world most people are unhappy because they are not content.
I really love this piece and the one published in Catapult, Hoang (Congratulations!!!). You definitely have material for a memoir or novel--or a wealth of stories for many blog posts (or all of the above!). The resilience of your mother in feeding her family, the symbolism of yams, and the scarcity mindset--all struck chords with me. My parents, grandparents and aunts carried the lessons they learned during World War II with them when they immigrated to this country. Even as they prospered, they saved, refusing to spend even when they had the money, never threw out leftovers, darned holes in socks rather than buy new ones and so on. I've inherited some of that mindset too and even passed it on to my son. So I can relate. Very nice writing too!
First congratulations for your published article in Catapult. Second thank for this amazing post, I really appreciate how you can be content even in the midst of scarcity, it is a lesson that we all can learn. It is sad that living in the USA one of the richest countries in the world most people are unhappy because they are not content.
I really love this piece and the one published in Catapult, Hoang (Congratulations!!!). You definitely have material for a memoir or novel--or a wealth of stories for many blog posts (or all of the above!). The resilience of your mother in feeding her family, the symbolism of yams, and the scarcity mindset--all struck chords with me. My parents, grandparents and aunts carried the lessons they learned during World War II with them when they immigrated to this country. Even as they prospered, they saved, refusing to spend even when they had the money, never threw out leftovers, darned holes in socks rather than buy new ones and so on. I've inherited some of that mindset too and even passed it on to my son. So I can relate. Very nice writing too!
Thanks Ruth! It was quite a process too. Three drafts before they accepted it for publication. But overall, I'm glad you (and others) like it.
It was beautifully done and fascinating!