Interviewee: Norine Dresser

Relationship to gardeners: Her grandmothers, Ana Friesch and Ida Shapiro, were gardeners.

Date: July 17, 2007

Location: Japanese American National Museum

Brief Description: Norine discusses her grandmother, Ida Shapiro's, vegetable gardens.

Transcription
My other grandmother, Ida Shapiro, was from Russia. So, they needed to grow their own vegetables in order to survive. Although she and my grandfather moved around a lot, no matter where they were, there was a patch of ground and they grew all fresh vegetables there to use for cooking. One of my greatest delights was learning about how each vegetable looked as it grew, and how to pick them, and how to dig up potatoes underneath, and the smell of the fresh onions- I can recall it at this very moment. So, I think of my grandmothers and their gardens as really a metaphor for their world views.

See part 1 of this interview.
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This interview was conducted as part of the Opening Day activities for the exhibition Landscaping America: Beyond the Japanese Garden.