Vegetables and Fruit

The Cantonese are fortunate indeed to be surrounded, year round, by the abundance of the earth, the growing things they call choi. The tropical climate of southern China lends itself to two crops of vegetables each year—often three—and accommodates an astonishing variety of vegetables and fruit.

In spring, I remember, we used to await with eagerness the first papaya, which would then be with us until late fall. We would have mangoes and hairy squash, watercress and the sweet and tender choi sum, lotus root and bok choy. But then bok choy would be harvested continuously throughout the year and water spinach would be grown three times in its watery fields.