On a blossoms lined street, in a sunlit house with a plum tree in the back live a dog named Monkey and her sister, a li’l mouse named Noodle. Farther North, across the river from big city lights, live their cousin, another li’l mouse named Lụa, and her sister, Olive. Lụa means silk. Still being debated is whether Noodle means wriggly Miến or hearty Phở (“Bún” having been claimed by an older cousin).
This corner of The Plum Seed is for Lụa and Noodle and all the li’l critters whose roots trace back to the small S-shaped land hugging the Pacific Ocean. May they hold a small corner of their heart for the lilt, rhythm, and rhymes of its language.