Dad keeps bringing home an increasing amount of black berries. This morning, he left with a large Ziploc bag; when he returned, the bag was filled to its brim. The weight of the berries had stretched the plastic so much that it must have been twice the size of the largest berry box you can buy at Costco.
With an unmanageable amount of blackberries coming in every day, mom—as she always does—finds creative ways to make the best of the good times. Thrice a day, blackberries appear as a staple dessert after each meal. Since when do Asian households eat dessert, you ask? When there is free food on the streets, apparently.
One by one, empty jars that had sat idle for years in my cabinet begin to disappear—filled with a strange, gooey slush. Mysterious purple swirls start to show up in our morning yogurt. What used to be plain breakfast pita bread now carries a tinge of sweet and sour.
If summer lasts any longer, our neighborhood fruit store is surely going out of business.
July 22–24, 2025 at home in Bothell, WA