Story by Wei-Zen Chen, Summer 2022
During my childhood, there were always two or three pots of kumquat trees in my grandpa's small garden. When the tiny orange fruits started popping up side by side on the tree, we knew the Chinese New Year was around the corner. My grandpa’s garden used to grow pine and cypress, the small pine trees were organized in a line, and the kumquat trees were in the middle. During the Chinese New Year, the Kumquat trees were the ones that brought up the festival color. My cousin and I would tie red ribbons on the twigs, as the red color is the essential color to present Chinese New Year.
In my culture, the kumquat tree is believed to bring thriving and luck into the family. It can be made for jam and the popular drink, kumquat lemon tea. The special sour and sweet flavors of kumquat are not only tasty, but the high vitamin C and A are also good for our immune system. Kumquat can treat cough, hoarse throat, and congestion. When I caught a cold, I sometimes felt sleepy. My grandpa would wake me up and ask me to come to the kitchen. It was dark outside and everyone was asleep. The only light in the room was a stove light. It was a soft light that only lit me and my grandpa. I would sit down next to the kitchen table and he would make a kumquat tea for me by mixing the homemade kumquat jam with hot water. When I sipped the kumquat tea, I could taste the flavor of the kumquat jam mixing with the honey and lemon. Right away, I could feel a great relief from my runny nose and headache. Though I don’t catch a cold often anymore, on winter nights I always remember the warm sweet kumquat tea and my grandpa.