As his stomach growls and pleads, Mr. Hu holds the peach in his
hand. He notes its colour. It isn’t right; it’s too yellow — not
surprising for a fruit from the Gold Mountain. This peach has a smell —
not all of them do in this country — but that too is wrong: acid and
cloying. But the wrong smell retrieves the right smell, the flatter,
sweeter scent of a proper Chinese peach. He lingers within his memories
of Wuhan streets and the greengrocer’s wife before he recalls his last
encounter with an American peach. He decides it is unwise for him to
hold the fruit so long in his hand and returns it to the bowl.
Love it or leave it by Guy Yasko
Filed under Guy Yasko
Sounds like the peach wouldn’t agree with him whether or not he was allergic! I love peaches, but that one sounded unappetizing. :)
Nice storytelling!
Thanks ganymeder. This is based on a neighbour of mine who developed an allergy to all fruits and vegetables upon coming to America.
i like this piece.
i find myself thinking about the two sentences that use the dashes. i like the rhythm they have, the stop-start, the consideration that follows from the way the punctuation works. i also wonder if there’s another way to generate the same effect. in the idle way that one wonders such things…
Really wonderful. I keep reading this and just love the symmetry of it, the simplicity of lifting — then returning — a fruit to its vessel. Peace…
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for over a week now I’ve thought how much I like this piece
Thanks Kelly. Coming from you makes it all the more meaningful.