My Mother and Her Mother

Fruit and vegetables have been the livelihood of my mother’s family for generations.

Dua 23 Choi Cau Ong Lanh (market stall number 23 near Mr Lanh’s Bridge) is where my brother Lewis and I were born — the same place my mother and her siblings were born. For as long as anyone can remember, Choi Cau Ong Lanh was the largest fruit and vegetable market in Saigon. The family business survived there for over fifty years before tragically burning to the ground in 1999. It is unfortunate that the source of the fire came from number 54 — the stall belonging to my father’s family. The blaze was rumoured to be the consequence of some electrical thievery. Today, both sides of the family still sell fruit and vegetables, though at different markets. Aunty Nine also runs a busy street stand selling handmade noodles and sweets. Aunty Eight, a notoriously masculine woman who has never worn a dress or used female toilets, has a wholesale business selling fresh corn.