Averrhoa Carambola
Fri Mar 18, 2011 4:34:36 am

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When I think about my father, there are some memories that stand out. I often think of how he coughed in the morning with bulging neck veins and a face so red that I thought he would drop dead immediately. I also think back to the ice cream incident in which I hurled a spoonful of ice cream across the kitchen. It landed between the sink and stove. My father stretched out his face in his unique way of indicating amusement. He never scolded me or told my mother about it.

One memorable incident was learning the scientific name for star fruit, Averrhoa carambola. I saw him eating it and I asked him what it was. He didn't know the name in English and had to consult the dictionary. He only had one Chinese-English dictionary, which is the same one he had since before I was born. In that dictionary, the translation was the scientific name for star fruit instead of the common name. I had to do further research in the encyclopedia to find the common name.

This event may seem mundane, but it is a significant memory, because it is possibly the only conversation I ever had with my father in my entire life.