High Rise Horticulture
Houses packed as close as Lego bricks with little room for a blade of grass let alone a garden in parts of Ho Chi Minh.
But up on roof tops, hidden from view some residents practice high rise horticulture.
One of my students is a cook and passionate about food. Flowers and vegetables are cultivated high above the traffic crammed streets.
Orchids run riot. Comfortable in heat and humidity they thrive to a point where Ms Mai resorts to heavy pruning to keep them under control. A far cry from my coaxing and pandering in attempt to keep a single stem from dying.
Trays of salad, herbs and vegetable greens pack the roof.
‘khổ qua – bitter melon
Looking around green stripes and pots adorn many neighbouring roofs.
What can’t be grown on the roof can be certainly bought in one of the colourful markets. I love wandering around the streets. The colour and smells are so enticing but today I had a guide and I learned:
That these are cakes of sugar made from fruit.
These tiny cakes are baked on the spot,
In charcoal powered stoves.
These leaves are used for smoking and
Mit Non
Rice dumplings
