Rainy afternoon in a foreign land

Snow always has a magical white beauty, making those born in temperate regions eagerly wait to... take virtual photos. But when mentioning rain, everyone feels sad, their voices drop, and they sound weak. It is interesting that when far away from home, looking at the afternoon rain, everything feels confused and heartbroken.

The rain here is very strange, completely different from the sudden downpours in Saigon, or the long, heart-wrenching rains like in Ninh Hoa. In the winter, when it rains, it is cold enough to cut into the flesh. In the summer, the crazy hot and humid weather with thunderstorms and rumbling lightning is a specialty of America. It rains as if the sky has been storing up water all year and doesn't know what to do with it, so it just pours it all down on the world like a waterfall.

And in the afternoon, after work, instead of watching the pouring rain and feeling queasy, I went into the kitchen, rummaged through the refrigerator and made all sorts of dishes to eat to make the family happy.

Mackerel or linh fish sauce is pre-made, ground, put in jars, imported from Vietnam and sold in many Asian markets. Scoop a little into a bowl, crack about five duck eggs, add onion, a few slices of chili, pepper, sugar, stir gently until well-mixed, and steam. After a while, use chopsticks to poke into the bowl of fish sauce to check. If the chopsticks are dry, the fish sauce is cooked, if the chopsticks are wet, it is not, wait a little longer. Take the opportunity to beat the yolk and pour it on top to make it look more eye-catching. When the fish sauce is cooked, it is fragrant and delicious. Eaten with rice paper or white rice with raw vegetables and cucumber, it is a delicacy.

We carefully brought over the squids with eggs, fat and full of eggs, caught from the sea of Ninh Hoa, soaked in salt water, then piled on a tray or tray, dried in the sun for a few days. The simplest dish is grilled salty squid. If there is no charcoal, turn on the gas stove. Remember to turn it evenly to avoid burning. If you are too lazy, wrap it in paper and microwave it. The salty, fragrant smell of squid wafts throughout the house. Two squids are enough to eat a whole bowl of rice. Biting into the thick layer of rice, it is so sticky.

Salty squid braised with pepper eaten with hot rice is needless to say. Before braising, soak it in salt water to reduce the saltiness. Rinse with cold water, cut into finger-sized pieces, season with sugar, MSG, oil, onion, pepper, chili, coconut water, and braise until sticky. The ink sac bursts, making the water black. After braising for a while, the squid shrinks and the water thickens. The squid is delicious, but the braised water is ten times more delicious. Pour over rice, mix well, and feel the whole sea and sky of the homeland on the tip of your tongue.

In this country, duck eggs are ten times more expensive than chicken eggs. But my refrigerator always has a tray because I love the rich flavor of the soft-boiled egg yolk. Mix a bowl of fish sauce, slice a green chili, put the egg in, and use a spoon to crush it. The fish sauce mixes with the fragrant duck egg. Scoop up a bowl of rice, scoop a spoonful of egg, and chew the soft rice. So many flavors of fat, sweetness, richness, saltiness, and spiciness blend together. I remember the old days, when there was a flood and I couldn’t go to the market. My mother cooked a pot of rice, told some sisters to pick bamboo shoots, take out the duck eggs, boil them, soak them in fish sauce, and leave them in the middle of the house. The family of more than ten people waded through the water while eating. We were poor but had so much joy that it was impossible to describe.

I thought that after years of living abroad, I would only see work and bills when I opened my eyes, and my soul would become hardened. Suddenly, in the pouring rain of a foreign country, I sat down to eat some rustic dishes, and I suddenly felt moved and sad.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chieu-mua-vien-xu-185250816185439171.htm