Father's Medicine Drawer

5baba.com is a labor of love by a man (Bong) in memory of his father. The Drawer column is the most unique section of this site.

You might be wondering—what exactly is this "Father's Drawer"? What's it all about?

Well, think of it as Dad's magic treasure box. My father was a Chinese herbalist; he spent most of his life beside the cabinet of medicinal herbs. These cabinets are made of dozens or even hundreds of drawers, each holding 1–4 kinds of herbal ingredients. But there was always one drawer that never held any medicine—and that drawer was worth more than you could imagine.

I've written a dedicated article about this: No.2 Father's Drawer >>

It's a bit like a Pandora's box or an Aladdin's lamp—capable of solving all kinds of problems.

The difference is, it doesn't look glamorous at all. It doesn't look like any kind of treasure. You might not even notice it.

Even my father never really paid it much attention. And yet, it always manages to stitch together my childhood, my father, and every memory from his pharmacy.

Those are memories of Chinese herbal medicine—and also of how people choose to live, and how they choose between good and evil.

— From your Chinese friend, Bong