Growing up Asian in Louisiana
I remember seeing an old black and white picture of my Japanese grandmother. We called her Momo. I would guess the year is 1960 or ’61. She’s wearing a belted dress of a soft floral print, little heels, tiny spectacles perched on her nose, and sporting a fresh perm in a short stylish cut. She’s standing quite prim and proper-- on the bank of the bayou, holding a long cane pole, waiting for the catfish to bite, and ready to fling that poor creature up on the grass behind her.
This is a tale of two images: being born of …