Though our focus is on our main projects, getting them established, up and running, etc., from time to time we’ll have excess energy for additional creative pursuits. And the internet is a pretty broad canvas on which to exercise that creativity. It’s not an unfamiliar concept to have a small place for experimentation, and ours is called the Jackson Fish Market Test Kitchen. Our first Test Kitchen effort follows.

“The words of a man’s mouth are as deep waters, and the wellspring of wisdom as a flowing brook.”

This quote is the opening for the small book described below. In December of 2005 an autograph book was found at a used knicknack store in Hong Kong’s central district and purchased for 380 Hong Kong dollars. The identity of the book’s original owner is a mystery. The stories the book reveals are hidden in plain sight. Aside from a few quotation in English, the bulk of the entries are in Chinese. Tiny pictures of men dot the pages of the book. The Chinese characters start in earnest on the seventh page. They are also the first words that appear to be written by the book’s owner:

“Four days living on the Canton ship [Canton Ho is the name of the ship]. It was cold and hot, crowded. A memorable experience. Heart and mind are together.”

These are the only words we have translated. The rest is up to you. You are invited to browse the pages, comment on the imagery, and if you’re able, translate the Chinese characters into English. Perhaps together we can discover (or perhaps imagine) the story behind the owner of this almost lost journal.