Straw hats and Chayote

The cone hats that are associated with Vietnam are a multipurpose implement - they serve as hats, mainly for farmers (and mostly women, but some men do use them). The farmers use them for shelter from the sun, for a basket to carry things from the field, for a sieve (to scoop rice out of the water), to keep the head cool (the cone shape lets air in to the top of the head) and for sitting on when they are wearing nicer clothing - they lay them down, cone first then sit on the inside of the brim. They are made by hand and have pretty ribbons attached to the inside of the hat - the ribbons don't tie but are fitted according to the wearer so that it sits snuggly on the chin.

Chayote is grown only in the mountains, so this is a cash crop that can be sold all over Viet Nam - and it is in great demand. Chayote is grown on simple supports - a sort of raised fence that reminds me of grape vineyards - the vines live about 5 or 6 years and produce vegetables for about 8 months. Local people go to the bamboo forests nearby and cut bamboo to use as supports for the chayote. This is a multipurpose vegetable - the young, green shoots are sauteed with garlic (like green beans), the fruit is grated and sauteed - the meat is white, it is sort of like squash. It is high in protein and other nutrients, a nice addition to a diet that consists mainly of white rice.

The farmers work hard. Men and women both do the farming. The hills of Tam Dao are rocky and steep but they plant their chayote everyplace there is a small patch of ground. It is amazing that they can even get it to grow - it is so rocky that it looked like it was more rock than dirt. Then tend the fields daily, cutting young shoots and picking ripe fruit.