this book is about vegetables but, for me, there can be no story about the significance of vegetables without telling you about my father and the legacy of the fresh, tender world he created for his family.
I only knew my father for a short time. He slipped away quietly on a Sunday afternoon on the last day of 1989. As the world outside prepared to celebrate the dawn of a new decade, our world fell apart, I was 15 and my life would never be the same.
My memories of my father are suspended in time, a disrupted dream without an ending. Every memory I have is through the lens of a child. He was tenderhearted – generous, caring, affectionate, kind and playful.
My dad woke at 3am every morning. In darkness, he met my Uncle Benny outside, travelling together to work at Flemington Markets (now known as Sydney Markets), the largest wholesale fruit and vegetable market in Australia. In many ways, his job defined him. Every day, he came home with trays and boxes of vegetables and fruits, ready for family meals, but always enough to share with others. As a young child, I didn't see living among cartons of fresh produce as anything but normal.
Losing a parent or carer (or any loved one) as
