Southern son-in-law celebrates death anniversary in the North, loves a specialty dish on Hai Phong's feast

Having experienced the ancestral worshiping tray in his wife's hometown in Hai Phong several times, the son-in-law from the South was impressed with the series of delicious dishes with eye-catching colors and elaborate preparation, including crab spring rolls.

“Today, let's put aside all the chaos outside to return to the warm, sacred atmosphere of a traditional death anniversary in the North, where cultural values and family affection are preserved through every roof and every feast.

This is not the first time I have had the opportunity to experience this cozy moment. However, the special thing is that this time, I have the opportunity to prepare typical dishes for the anniversary feast with my family", Nguyen Le Thanh Hung (born in 1996) - the son-in-law from Ho Chi Minh City, excitedly introduced the anniversary in his wife's hometown.

Thanh Hung and his wife take photos during a trip in Hai Phong.

Hung said he was born and raised in the steel land of Cu Chi. In 2022, he got married and became a son-in-law of a Northerner. His wife is Nguyen Hong Nhung, from Hai Phong .

“After getting married, we lived and worked in Ho Chi Minh City for a while and then decided to move to the North. We chose Hai Phong, my wife’s hometown, as our place to start a business, based on our special impressions of this place. One of them is the rich cuisine , with many delicious dishes.

In particular, after several times participating in the ancestral worship activities with my wife's family, I love this land even more, consider it my second homeland and want to learn more about the unique indigenous culture," Hung said.

Southern son-in-law helps his parents-in-law prepare typical dishes for a feast in Hai Phong

Since moving to Hai Phong, the young son-in-law has had the opportunity to experience many feasts on different occasions. On each occasion, he often records videos, both to preserve memories and to spread the unique culture of his “second homeland”.

Hung said that the feast in Hai Phong was prepared very neatly. From the previous afternoon, family members were busy buying ingredients, frying some dishes such as spring rolls, fried shrimp rolls, etc. so that they could prepare them the next day, saving time.

The feast in Hai Phong usually has some familiar dishes such as boiled chicken, boiled shrimp, spring rolls, soup.

According to his observation, on the death anniversary days at his wife's house, there are familiar dishes such as boiled chicken, boiled shrimp, fried spring rolls and soup.

During the traditional Tet holiday, the tray of food also includes banh chung, xoi and especially braised pork. This is a familiar dish of many families in Hai Phong in the winter because it is convenient to prepare in the cold weather of the North.

“These dishes do not represent all the dishes in the North,” said the 9X.

Each dish on the tray is the result of careful preparation and affection from each member.

The young son-in-law also noticed that the feast at his wife's hometown was delicately and harmoniously arranged, showing solemnity and traditional spirit.

The dishes often have a light taste, less sweet, less spicy and pay special attention to the natural colors of the ingredients, such as the red color of boiled shrimp, the bright yellow color of chicken, combined with the green and orange colors of vegetables and tubers.

“The interesting thing is that each tray of food has a balance of nutrition and taste, between greasy dishes and light dishes, between liquid dishes and dry dishes. For example, spring rolls, shrimp rolls with sweet and sour fish sauce, eaten with herbs or mushroom soup cooked with vegetables, helps reduce the feeling of fullness when eating,” Hung added.

Thanh Hung was excited to receive the blessing after serving the food with his wife's family.

Crab spring rolls (or spring rolls) are Hung's favorite dish on the ancestral altar at his wife's house. He commented that this dish is similar to Southern spring rolls but is larger in size, has a rich filling and has crab meat, which is very appealing.

Hai Phong crab spring rolls can be wrapped in a cylindrical or elongated shape, but the most popular shape is square. When eaten, the spring rolls are cut into small pieces, served with vermicelli, lettuce, perilla, Vietnamese coriander leaves... and sliced vegetables in a sweet and sour sauce such as papaya, cucumber, and carrot.

The death anniversary tray not only exudes a unique culinary culture but also shows the respect and remembrance of ancestors of the descendants.

The Hai Phong son-in-law admitted that his wife's family's feast does not represent all other feasts in the North. Depending on the conditions and preferences of each family, each feast has its own unique features.

“On the death anniversary, although each family will have flexible changes in the way they organize the feast to suit modern life, they still maintain the sacred meaning, showing respect to their ancestors.

This is also an opportunity for members to gather and remind each other to preserve and develop the good traditional culture of the nation and family, becoming an indispensable part of the spiritual and cultural life of Vietnamese people," Hung expressed.

Photos, videos: 2 Children Vlogs

The Central groom was surprised by the bustling wedding atmosphere from early morning in his wife's hometown Hung Yen (former Thai Binh province) with many dishes already displayed on the tray, beautifully decorated.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/chang-re-mien-nam-an-gio-o-bac-me-tit-1-mon-dac-san-trong-mam-co-hai-phong-2417527.html