My paternal grandfather was very fond of growing fruits in all the properties he purchased over the years. He grew lots of pomeloes in Hua Hong Ice Factory land. My mother remembers collecting a few pomelo which dropped during high tide and she had to swim in the water to collect them. My mother, in those days, was a good swimmer. Our house in Hua Hong was a stilted house and flood waters would reach the first landing. Fruit trees grew well long the raised banks of Pulau Kerto.
Not long after my parents were married , my paternal grandparents moved to Sungei Merah. There he planted four pomelo trees. It was this special home that we used to visit as his noisy grand children every weekend until he passed away. Grandfather actually lived in that house for slightly more than 12 years, if I am not mistaken.
Whenever we visited them during the weekends, there would be lots of fruits for all of us to eat.
My grandfather was particularly fond of pomelo. And Grandma Siew would always peel the big fruit and place the segments in a small dish for him and for the rest of us.
Grandfather was a very gentle eater. He would use a tooth pick to get a small segment of pomelo and slowly put it into his mouth. Perhaps it was his mannerism that many of my aunts and uncles inherited. They were all very careful eater at the table. And they seldom talked in front of him.
My 7th Aunt told us that Mrs. Hoover had made sure that the girls studying in Yuk Ing Girls Schools were trained not to laugh or giggle. And they must put on a very serious face.
My grandfather did have a very serious face.
The pomelo grown in Sg Merah by my grandfather was especially sweet and juicy. My father used to tell us that Grandfather was good in planting the best of fruit trees.
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