Oh my goodness. Heidi. I felt this. My Mum’s family is Spanish. My maternal grandparents were born at the of the Spanish Civil War, which was immediately after WWII. Both of their Dads abandoned large families, and my grandfather in particular bore the brunt of caring for his sisters and also working from 11 years old to support the family. I spent a lot of time with my grandparents growing up, including school holidays at their house. I didn’t understand why Poppy was obsessed with us wearing shoes and forever shouting at us to put some bloody shoes on. Turns out he never had any. Just like you, I was also the first one on either side of my family to go to uni. Congrats on your book friend, what a beautiful story you wove x
I saved your book in my to-read list. Did your daughter do the illustrations? I'm asking because my daughter is a young painter, too, and she is going to be the illustrator for my future book, too. The feeling must be incomparable!
Your story really moved me - it's always fascinating to know what our predecessors endured, most of them didn't enjoy the easy life we have - and I'll be looking forward to more! Blessings!
Thank you for the support, Nevena! Yes, my 4 year old illustrated the book. It’s certainly a project we will remember. Did your grandparents share a similar background?
I grew up in China and have similar memories where I got glimpses of the kind of hardship that my parents and grandparents had in that era.
I remember the stories my NaiNai shared as she roasted sweet potato in the coals for me. This kind of conversation is deep and restorative, and important reminders of our identity.
Stunning how a simple phrase can carry so much weight across generations. The shift from survival-based hunger to dream-based hunger really captures something essential about immigrant trajectories. That detail about Por Por walking an hour to the glove factory at 11 hits hard, makes the daily "have you eaten" feel less like small talk and more like a lived reminder of precarity overcome.
Wow, what a legacy, transforming with each generation!
On the topic/title of this post, I wrote a poem not long ago, and called it "can i feed you?"
For many of us, food is possibly where love ends and begins. It's amazing how much significance carbs, fats, and protein hold, beyond the energy they provide.
Thank you for reading our stories, Sarah! It’s certainly been a journey of learning to appreciate my heritage and seeing the positives of both East and West.
Oh my goodness. Heidi. I felt this. My Mum’s family is Spanish. My maternal grandparents were born at the of the Spanish Civil War, which was immediately after WWII. Both of their Dads abandoned large families, and my grandfather in particular bore the brunt of caring for his sisters and also working from 11 years old to support the family. I spent a lot of time with my grandparents growing up, including school holidays at their house. I didn’t understand why Poppy was obsessed with us wearing shoes and forever shouting at us to put some bloody shoes on. Turns out he never had any. Just like you, I was also the first one on either side of my family to go to uni. Congrats on your book friend, what a beautiful story you wove x
I saved your book in my to-read list. Did your daughter do the illustrations? I'm asking because my daughter is a young painter, too, and she is going to be the illustrator for my future book, too. The feeling must be incomparable!
Your story really moved me - it's always fascinating to know what our predecessors endured, most of them didn't enjoy the easy life we have - and I'll be looking forward to more! Blessings!
Thank you for the support, Nevena! Yes, my 4 year old illustrated the book. It’s certainly a project we will remember. Did your grandparents share a similar background?
Not exactly the same, but my grandma lived in the communist regime and suffered a lot….
I grew up in China and have similar memories where I got glimpses of the kind of hardship that my parents and grandparents had in that era.
I remember the stories my NaiNai shared as she roasted sweet potato in the coals for me. This kind of conversation is deep and restorative, and important reminders of our identity.
I had a similar vibe not long ago and it prompted me to have a go at putting some words to it. Imperfect as it was, I thought I share it. https://open.substack.com/pub/wadepan/p/together?r=40yqza&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=overlay
https://open.substack.com/pub/wadepan/p/together
Thanks for reading and for sharing your own experiences, Wade! I'll check out the piece you shared.
Stunning how a simple phrase can carry so much weight across generations. The shift from survival-based hunger to dream-based hunger really captures something essential about immigrant trajectories. That detail about Por Por walking an hour to the glove factory at 11 hits hard, makes the daily "have you eaten" feel less like small talk and more like a lived reminder of precarity overcome.
You summarised the heart of my article so well. First generation immigrants and refugees have such amazing stories. Thank you for reading ours.
Wow, what a legacy, transforming with each generation!
On the topic/title of this post, I wrote a poem not long ago, and called it "can i feed you?"
For many of us, food is possibly where love ends and begins. It's amazing how much significance carbs, fats, and protein hold, beyond the energy they provide.
Thank you for sharing this post!
Food is such a big part of our culture, I’m glad you can resonate with this! Is your poem on Substack? I’d love to read it.
Yes it is! I posted it in October 2025.
Thank you for reading our stories, Sarah! It’s certainly been a journey of learning to appreciate my heritage and seeing the positives of both East and West.