23 Jan 2011 Enthusiasm for gardening uproots langauge barrier

James Hsieh was born and raised in Taipei, the fourth largest city in Taiwan. Growing up in a densely populated city, it never occurred to anyone to garden since there was no space. The closest thing to gardening would be having a few houseplants indoors or, later as a parent, helping his kids with their elementary school science homework of planting green beans in wet gauze. Other than that, no one in the family gardened.

During the weekdays, he worked as an import-export business manager. On the weekend, he would take the whole family camping, biking, hiking, rock-climbing, swimming and fishing to get away from the noisy, fast-paced and air-polluted city life. James especially loved to pretend he knew everything about all the trees, plants, animals and insects he encountered along the hiking trail to educate his kids on nature and life in this father-children bonding experience.

About 13 years ago, James and his wife decided to move their son and two daughters to the U.S. to introduce their children to a different culture and environment. One of his five sisters used to live in Little Rock, so Arkansas became their first choice. After living in Little Rock for a year, they moved to Conway because it felt more like home, more like a place where they wanted their children to grow up. And they’ve been in Conway ever since.

His gardening experience really started after he moved to Arkansas. His brother-in-law loved to garden, and James helped and learned about the hobby. After the family moved to Conway and bought a house, James finally had his own space to garden. His passion grew as he experimented with different seeds and soil types. Although unsuccessful at times, he always had fun doing it.

Becoming a Master Gardener in 2008 allowed James to learn more about topics he loved, work on projects to do something good for the community, swap and share seeds with fellow seed-lovers, and meet all sorts of interesting and friendly people in the process.

Language has always been a big barrier for most foreigners, his family included. And like most cases, it was easier for the children to adapt and adjust. James and his wife have had more difficulties in learning the language and communicating with others in English, but his ever present smile and energy help break the word barrier.

“Using several types of Taiwanese cucumber and melon seeds, James shared knowledge of that culture with Joel Stout, Charlie DeBoard and me this summer,” said Pat Davis. “The melons and cucumbers did much better in the hot Arkansas summer, and they were also sweeter.” James also cultivates several varieties of Tai greens, and he and his wife are excellent cooks, introducing old country style to hungry new friends.

James returns to Taiwan frequently to visit siblings and friends, but mostly to make sure his mom is well taken care of. James’ father is deceased, and his mom lives with James’ brother and family in the house where James’ children grew up. He also continues to bring seeds and ideas to share with his garden buddies.

Molly Jones adds that James makes every project in which he’s involved more fun: “He works rings around the rest of us and is precise and conscientious about everything he does. He’s also the guy who shows up on a wet or brisk workday with a thermos of his freshly brewed Asian tea to share with us.”

Moving from a big city to a small town across the world, he and his family love their new lives here. While they miss family and friends half a world away, they enjoy the simple life, fresh air, friendly people and wide, open space.

His eloquent daughter Tina, whose smile matches her dad’s facial wattage, sums it up well: “Even though he might not speak perfect English, it has never prevented him from making friends, because his personality speaks louder than his words.”

Cucumber cold dish

3 home-grown or store-bought medium size cucumbers

3 tablespoons salt

3 cloves of garlic

1 hot pepper

3 tablespoons sugar

1 lemon

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Lightly hit cucumbers with flat side of knife until it bursts open (don’t really know how to describe it). Cut burst cucumber into 2-inch pieces. Put all pieces of cucumber in a bowl and mix with salt to soak for 30 minutes. Drain excess water.

Mix chopped garlic, chopped hot pepper, sugar, lemon juice, sesame oil and cucumber. (Amount of spice can be changed according to personal preferences.)

Best when served cold.