The only nuts i knew growing up is peanuts. In VN, peanuts is used in salads, in jicama rolls, in hoisin sauce, or we just eat them boiled. Have you tried boiled peanuts? I can eat 2 lbs at a time, just pop the shells and devour the beans…

This morning, I went to Farmers’ Market in Walnut Creek and saw walnuts being sold for $3.00 a pound. Is the price decent? I wouldn’t know. Walnuts can have a bitter taste if eaten raw. I never warmed up to walnuts unless in banana bread. I don’t think much of nuts, unless it’s in Pad Thai, in Bò Biá, or in nutella spread.

But nuts tonight bring back memories. How strange that is, some little insignificant things can bring back a whole scene of childhood.

I used to listen to stories Father said about chestnuts, des marrons chauds. How cold it was Paris in winter. So cold even in the afternoon, and so poor he was. He missed his wife and his daughter. But he believed in the future he was building for us. The only thing he could afford in those cold nights was a bag of grilled chestnuts. For half of a franc, he could buy instant happiness. The physical warmth it gave to his icy hands, the emotional warmth it gave to his aching heart. To hold the marrons in his hands was even more rewarding than eating it.

Whenever I travel in Europe and see a seller of marrons chauds, I always make sure to get a bag. In remembrance of Father.  I still miss him in the little things I encounter in life…