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Lychee, (pronounced lye' che in Hawaii)
is a very sweet and extremely delicious fruit.
Besides being a delicacy, in the Chinese culture
it is considered to bring good luck when the fruit is harvested. It is
an annual ceremony at Senator Fong's Plantation, where over 200 trees grow
throughout the 750 acre garden estate. The Senator's family and friends
are invited for the occasion. Later, the locals are allowed to pick the
fruits for free. They bring a very good price at road side markets as well
as being a favorite local food. Although it was strictly forbidden, as
much as it represented someone stealing the luck, a favorite pastime of
many of the Plantation employees was finding a way to sample the fruits
as they were beginning to ripen. (Don't tell the Senator!) This is a photo
of my daughter Leah, the Senator and myself during this momentous occasion.
We were employees there at the time and it was an honor to participate
in this event. The Senator was in his late 80s when this was taken.
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