Road side fruits

This blog post is dedicated to all the Chans and especial to Mum's youngest Sister Kong Wah Mee.

We grew up in the village and suburban areas. The houseowners have fruit trees and flowers, they grow them by the road side.

We grew up with this saying quoted from an aunt Siong Pou Mu, when her kids were caught stealing/plucking people's guava, she spouted, " Road side guava, everybody can pick."

Towards the last years of Mother's life, Mother and Father moved to their own house on Surfers Paradise. Next door was this giant tree, and it was laden with macadamia nuts hanging over my parents' property. Mother and I started picking them. Dad stopped us, and I quoted Siong Pou Mu's Road side guava. Dad said it might not apply in Australia.

Last year, my Aunt Wah Mee insisted on taking me to the old homestead. During the trip, I don't know why, she brought up this famous maxim, road side fruit.

She related this when she was in senior primary, the kids used to steal the school's neighbour's pomeloes. The old man came to complain to the principal. The kids were afraid he would haul them to the office and cane them. Instead, the principal told the old man, "Road side fruits, anyone can pick." The old man protested , it wasn't so much he was complaining about the fruits, these pomeloes were immature, and the kids picked the fruit and then threw them away. Aunt said the principal loved the kids very much, and softly told them, don't pick them anymore. Whew!!!!

Sometimes when I go for walks, I see flowers, especially lavender, I think of Aunt Siong Pou Mou. The only thing that stops me, is the water engineer is allergy to flowers.

We have 5 lawyers in the family, I asked Charles the oldest, is the maxim right?

Now I don't physically steal the fruit and flower, I steal them with my camera.