Grandfather's Banana Plantation

 My grandfather never called bananas bah yiu or white bananas. He called them Hiong Yiu, or the fragrant bananas.

The green banana called pisang embun was called chang nga jiu by him. 

He grew mainly hiong jiu  (fragrant banana) and chang nga jiu (pisang embun)

This pisang embun is greenish in colour even when it is ready to be eaten. The bananas turns pale yellow when ripe actually. Many Foochow ladies do not eat this type of banana because it is cooling and can upset the stomach i.e. it brings a lot of wind. Today this banana is also called cavendish banana. Some people call it Lau Hieng Ding banana.

After my grandfather retired from all businesses in his 60's and until his death, he grew lots of bananas and bamboos in his hill top property in Sg. Merah, his original parcel of land which he opened up when he first came to Sibu. He and his Chong father in law had adjacent properties. The Chong's property however was bigger as Grand Uncle Chong Jin Bok and Great Grandfather Chong had more wealth to engage workers to help clear land and plant lots of rubber.

Photo from Pau S. Cheong

Grandfather would have about 5 bunches of bananas hanging in the store room to turn just a little yellow before he sold them, by the week. He never sold green ones as they fetched less.

In the evenings he would have Aunt Hiong send two bunches to Sungei Merah. One would be sold to his cousin, Tiong Kung Kiew, who would sell the bananas by the hand to his coffee shop customers, and the other bunch to the fruit seller.  I never remember why Grandmother Siew never took the bananas in her car to sell in Sg. Merah. I suppose it was Aunt Hiong's duty.

Sometimes there were four bunches of bananas ready for sale. Aunt Hiong, being the strong woman she was, had two tied to the handle bars and two tied to the back of the bicycle. And she had another young aunt and myself to help push the bicycle to Sg. Merah. That was quite a distance but it was good exercise for all three of us. Great memories.

The cash sale would be enough to buy some vegetables and biscuits and other fruits for the family.  He was happy with that small income.

The bananas, both Cavendish and fragrant bananasplanted by grandfather were the best and sweetest in the world in my memory.