A postcard from the astroturf
An invasive species
When I return from the creative residency in April, I brought home two edible plants: pegaga (Centella asiatica ‘Asiatic pennywort’) and ketumbar jawa (Eryngium foetidum ‘long coriander’, ‘culantro’). The pegaga, in a black polybag; the ketumbar jawa, in a small pink plastic pot.
For three months, instead of immediately repotting them, I left them in their black/pink cases. Waiting for them to first adjust to the change in microclimate; from a lush thriving space to a stoic concrete one.
One by one, the ketumbar jawa began to lose its larger leaves. This is something one of the gardening staff told me would happen before the plant sprouts new ones.
Meanwhile, the pegaga had a start-stop situation as it tried to creep and spread into neighbouring pots. Searching for more ground among succulents that have long outgrown their terracotta vessels. As the pegaga’s matured leaves dried up in the polybag, the new—noticeably smaller and somewhat stunted—sprouts continued to stretch. One by one, they took turns to stretch a little further before dying off in a game of chain-link monkeys. I transferred the pegaga eventually. But by then, it was a little too late for the ketumbar jawa.
I wanted to “wait and see”.
Waiting for the ketumbar would grow a little stronger. Waiting for the compost in the new transfer space to fully break down. Waiting for the new space to be “ready”.
I waited for a new leaf.
And I waited.
Without so much as an announcement, the ketumbar jawa perished without a trace. What was initially left of its two struggling leaves, barely the size of a little toe, disintegrated into the ground. I never noticed how brittle the plastic pot had become until I tried to lift it by its rim. In its post mortem, I stuck my finger into the soil, hoping to find something salvageable and transferable (roots, maybe?) But it was all just dirt. I waited a little too long.
This week, I’m
working on: Plates-Vol4-Seeds_edited_for-final-final-1000-print_post-mock_FINALfinal.pdf
watching/listening: ‘The Purge’ — Jay Park, pH-1, BIG Naughty , Woodie Gochild, HAON, TRADE L, Sik-K
Plates is an independent biannual magazine that uses food as a conversation starter. Intentional and sporadic visual updates on Instagram Stories @platesmagazine @deemaytan. If you enjoyed reading this postcard, feel free to forward it to a friend; leave a comment; or, if you’ve been meaning to, but haven’t quite gotten around to it, grab a plate and introduce yourself here. Thanks for reading. See you next week.