It’s past 9 p.m., under the street lights at the Vincom roundabout in Tuy Hoa City (Phu Yen), an old woman is still fanning herself with charcoal, waiting for people to buy grilled corn. Rain or shine, the image of an old woman fanning herself with charcoal has become a familiar image to many Tuy Hoa residents for decades.
30 years of selling grilled corn
"Buy some corn to support her, it's been so slow today," said Le Thi Nua's greeting, making many people reluctant to pass by. She had been setting up her stall since noon and still hadn't sold all her corn, so she stayed to sell all her corn for the day before leaving.
Mrs. Nua sells grilled corn in Tuy Hoa city
"I'm 80 years old this year, and I've been selling corn here for 30 years. Before, my family lived on Nguyen Cong Tru Street, selling vegetables at Cho Lon Tuy Hoa Market, selling at the market and delivering vegetables. I went to get vegetables to sell at 1am. Later, I moved to Mau Than Street (Ninh Tinh 2 Quarter, Ward 9, Tuy Hoa City), not knowing what else to do to make a living, so I went to get corn to sell. At that time, there was no electricity here, so I had to use a flickering oil lamp...", Ms. Nua shared.
Currently, Mrs. Nua lives with her daughter. Her daughter is a factory worker, but due to economic difficulties, she has to raise two children to go to school.
"My legs are weak and it's difficult for me to walk, and my husband is both blind and deaf. My daughter told me to stop selling, but they're not doing well. I still sell as much as I can, earning a little extra money to support the family. Corn sells well in the cold season, but less so in the dry season, so I try to sell it all. When it rains, I cover it with a tarp to sell, and only stop when it rains too hard. Sometimes I'm hungry, sometimes I'm full...", Mrs. Nua confided.
In the past, Mrs. Nua's husband, Mr. Le Van Sau, often helped his wife push the cart to sell corn. Now Mr. Sau is 85 years old and has been suffering from dementia and blindness for the past year, so he can no longer help his wife.
Hungry some days, full some days thanks to everyone's kindness
Ms. Nua sells grilled corn with fish sauce and grilled corn with salt and chili for 10,000 VND/corn. Normally, she sells from noon until around 8pm and then leaves. If she sells out early, she calls her daughter to pick her up. If she doesn't sell much, she stays longer to sell everything.
Every day, Mrs. Nua sells about 40 - 50 corns. Corn costs 7,000 VND/corn, so she tries to sell it during the day so that she can pay for it in installments the next morning.
Mrs. Nua chooses young, sweet and soft sticky corns and grills them. When customers come to buy, they pour on fish sauce. The salty and fragrant taste of fish sauce when grilled over the fire, combined with the pungent aroma of chives, makes customers unable to control their cravings. Each person must eat 2 corns to be satisfied.
Grilled sticky corn with fish sauce is delicious and makes many people crave it.
"When I was little, my mother often took me here to buy corn. I got used to the taste of Mrs. Nua's fish sauce, so every afternoon when I picked up my son from school, I stopped here to buy corn. It was so pitiful. My grandparents are the same age as my grandparents, so I wanted to buy some to support her so she could come home early...", Ms. Truong Thi Duyen (33 years old, from Ward 9, Tuy Hoa City) confided.
The first time she enjoyed grilled corn with fish sauce, Mai Thy (21 years old, a tourist from Long An ) exclaimed: "The smell of the fish sauce is so fragrant, I couldn't resist. The sweet and salty taste of the fish sauce is fragrant and easy to eat, plus the softness of the corn made me eat two at once. There's nothing better than watching the night street while eating grilled corn with fish sauce."
Customers come to buy corn from Mrs. Nua.
Most of Mrs. Nua's customers are regulars. Knowing her family's difficult circumstances, many people come to support her. Some buy corn to support her, others buy a cake, a glass of water...
"Currently, Mrs. Nua is living with her daughter. Her family is poor, so despite her old age, she still sells corn to help her children support her husband. She and her husband also receive a monthly allowance, but it's not much. She also wants to work every day she can," said Ms. Vo Thi Thanh Thuy, a civil servant of the Department of Culture and Social Affairs of the People's Committee of Ward 9 (Tuy Hoa City).
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