Everything is very rough right now and I don't have time to proofread. I am currently at 12,000 words and I should be at around 15000 to be on track. I find that I like writing with my eyes clothes and that makes my typing even worse. Oh well, here's an excerpt of something I've written and I'm kinda happy with.
Dan
Chapter 3: Bananas
The yellow smile of a banana was something I savored in my mind. When I was five years old, the banana was the most exotic fruit in the world. They were just coming into Korea and for a poor boy they were simply unattainable. A bunch of bananas would cost about 5 dollars- the equivalent of 10 days savings and my money would never last that long. You would think the vendor might give samples of the fruit, but it wasn’t the flavor people sought. The banana was exotic; it’s color and shape defied logic. The banana came from parts of the world that most Koreans had never even dreamt about. And the name: THE NAME! It’s catchy and cool and sweet and it totally imbeds itself in the brain. Banana, banana, banana. It’s fun to say banana I think the gorilla babies first words are probably banana. It’s easier to pronounce than momma or daddy. Banana, banana, banana. Now what was I talking about? Oh, yeah, bananas.
Buying bananas was something that made your family special- it separated them from the pack. It meant that your mother was open-minded and didn’t expect you to study 20 hours a day in order to become a doctor. (It meant she might accept you becoming a lawyer or possibly even a teacher.) It also marked a special occasion. Bananas were not eaten with cereal. They were not an everyday fruit. Bananas marked a birthday, father making a big sale, daughter getting a good grade, the son’s acceptance to a good high school. Bananas were special.
Click on the link below for the rest of the story.
http://www.seouleats.com/2007/01/nanowritmo-chapter-3-bananas.html
Dan
Chapter 3: Bananas
The yellow smile of a banana was something I savored in my mind. When I was five years old, the banana was the most exotic fruit in the world. They were just coming into Korea and for a poor boy they were simply unattainable. A bunch of bananas would cost about 5 dollars- the equivalent of 10 days savings and my money would never last that long. You would think the vendor might give samples of the fruit, but it wasn’t the flavor people sought. The banana was exotic; it’s color and shape defied logic. The banana came from parts of the world that most Koreans had never even dreamt about. And the name: THE NAME! It’s catchy and cool and sweet and it totally imbeds itself in the brain. Banana, banana, banana. It’s fun to say banana I think the gorilla babies first words are probably banana. It’s easier to pronounce than momma or daddy. Banana, banana, banana. Now what was I talking about? Oh, yeah, bananas.
Buying bananas was something that made your family special- it separated them from the pack. It meant that your mother was open-minded and didn’t expect you to study 20 hours a day in order to become a doctor. (It meant she might accept you becoming a lawyer or possibly even a teacher.) It also marked a special occasion. Bananas were not eaten with cereal. They were not an everyday fruit. Bananas marked a birthday, father making a big sale, daughter getting a good grade, the son’s acceptance to a good high school. Bananas were special.
Click on the link below for the rest of the story.
http://www.seouleats.com/2007/01/nanowritmo-chapter-3-bananas.html
This brings up a wonderful memory from my childhood. My Dad used to buy a huge hand of bananas for our school picnics. It was his way of tell us we were special and he wanted to make our already exciting event even more special. My siblings and I used to wake up and find our picnic bags with precious bananas. They were so special and my sister and I couldn't eat them so we took them out of the bag, show them off to other kids and put them back. We resisted a temptation to eat them as long as we could during the picnic. Sometimes we came home without eating them and found bananas all riped and brown, with some smashed by other items in the bag. Your story reminds me of my Dad's love and our childhood pleasures. Thank you!
ReplyDeletethanks for leaving a comment and telling your story.
ReplyDeleteDan
Dan - thanks for posting these, and I can't wait to read the rest of your stories. :)
ReplyDeleteThis story brought meaning to a memory I have of my adopted Dad buying me bananas all the time when I first arrived here in the U.S. I could never understand when my Mom told me this funny story of me whispering to her "tell Dad to stop buying me so many bananas". Obviously he had heard or I had been very excited about having them when I came here. I am going to be visiting Seoul for the first time since I was adopted (at age 5)in about a week. I can't tell you how much I have enjoyed your blog and I've combed through all your food reviews and CAN NOT WAIT to eat!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading and let me know when you get to Seoul.
ReplyDeleteDan