Also made from clay and baked at high temperature, the jar is smaller than the water storage jar, usually used to store rice and ferment fish sauce. The rice jar is not only an essential item but also a feng shui item in the family, even though it only hangs around the kitchen. A meal of boiled vegetables and braised fish sauce is done, but if the jar still has rice to cook, the stomach is at ease. A folk concept for generations is that when scooping rice to cook, the can must not touch the bottom of the jar to make a sound, and even more so, the jar must not be scraped; more or less, there must be half a jar of rice left in the house, then the business can be done.
Rice in the barn is still afraid of rats and insects coming to find it, but rice in the jar is not a concern. The rough appearance, solid structure, and heavy enough lid, no mouse can find it. Dogs and cats are afraid of furniture in the house, so the old people often have the trick "hang the dog, cover the cat", as for the rice in the jar, just cover the lid and leave it in a corner.
The rice jar is not only the mother's or sister's business, but also the children in the house, whether they are old enough to cook or not, also keep an eye on the rice jar, because the "savings" that mother often keeps in it. Every time she goes to a funeral, people only bring back a few cakes, or tangerines or oranges, mother often puts them in the rice jar to give to the children when they come home from school, but in a family of five or seven people, if they don't put them in the jar, they will be gone after a quick glance. The rice jar is like a "secret warehouse", mother or grandmother coming back from a funeral often whispers to the children "I left cakes in the rice jar, come and eat them later".
Living in the fields, the vegetables and fruits around the house are also snacks for the children. Dad often picks a few old custard apples to put in the rice jar, after a few days they will be golden and fragrant. Or a few mangoes and custard apples that we pick when they are just ripe, put in the rice jar for three days and they will ripen evenly. When we open the lid, we will smell the sweet aroma, making us crave it. That little taste of home follows us as we grow up, and when we return home, we often wait to hear the words "Mom is still in the rice jar, you know". Or we accidentally pick an unripe mango, hastily bring it home and put it in the rice jar, waiting to hear the sweet aroma, to avoid regretting the effort Dad took to take care of it every day while the children impatiently pick the unripe fruit.
The pace of life is developing, along with the increasing needs and living standards of people, whether in urban areas or in the countryside. The rough, heavy rice jar has also given way to new, convenient options that people now call smart rice bins, designed with lids to take and measure rice according to the cook's wishes... And there is no shortage of choices of delicious, sweet fruits cut and eaten immediately instead of having to wait in the rice jar, waiting every day. But even though going through a simple childhood, in the myriad of twists and changes, no matter what form it appears in, the image of the rice jar always contains a family love, a way of life that knows how to cherish and save that generations of grandparents and parents have taught the children in the house.
Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/con-trong-khap-gao-post806646.html
Comment (0)