Fairytale dish

Around the age of seven or eight, she was allowed to go to the market alone. Partly because her house wasn't far from the market, and partly because her mother had taken her there and introduced her to the vendors, so people gradually got to know her!

Betel box and tray of betel nuts. Photo: DUY KHÔI

In particular, Mrs. Bac sells betel nuts and leaves in front of the meat market. She has a rectangular wooden stall overflowing with betel nuts and leaves, along with other accessories, all neatly arranged. Behind her, on the cement floor, she keeps a large reserve of betel nuts and leaves. On the stall, the smallest area is occupied by lime, paper pulp, and chewing tobacco. The pink lime lump, about half a kilogram, is wrapped in fresh banana leaves to retain moisture. The paper pulp, made from an unknown material, looks like thinly pressed dried squid, about the size of a school notebook. There are two types of chewing tobacco: the "heavy-duty" block tobacco – fine, black, compressed pieces, as thin as a small notebook; and the "light-duty" (mild) tobacco – thicker, golden yellow strands, rolled into rectangular pillow-like shapes, about the length of an adult's hand.

Under the awning that stretched out in all four directions, Mrs. Bac, tall and thin, sat right in the middle. In the two corners of her stall were two shallow baskets piled high with bundles of green betel leaves. "Green betel leaves" was a general term; there was also a type of golden, glossy betel leaf – bundled together in stacks, called "bundles." Each bundle was stacked in layers, alternating evenly, piled high enough to reach about half the height of an adult's hand above the rim of the basket. The most captivating moment was when Mrs. Bac used a small knife (the kind with a folding handle and a hard, sharp steel blade) to peel the outer skin around the betel nut. Then she carved a circle, separating the stem, which looked like a white conical hat with a dark green paint on the tip. Half of the smooth white betel nut pulp was revealed. The sharp knife continued to split the betel nut in half (without cutting it completely through) while she said with a smug voice: "Look! These are white betel nuts with loose pulp, not pink betel nuts with curled pulp! I sell them to children or adults, it's all the same!" "Loose" or "tight" betel nut is distinguished by the white veins in its interior – whether they are sparse or dense – indicating whether the betel nut is ready to eat or still unripe. A betel nut with a loose interior is of the right size, not too old, and has a sweeter taste. Conversely, a betel nut with a loose interior is unripe, astringent, and not tasty... The same applies to betel leaves. The dark green variety, with thick, rough-looking leaves, is crunchy when chewed and can easily cause intoxication. The variety with thin, soft leaves, a sweet yellow color, and a little lime added to wrap a piece of white betel nut, then put in the mouth and chewed with a satisfying crunch, is delicious... Some people only like to chew betel with the betel nut pulp without the peel. Or, instead, they use "paper scraps" – small pieces – like the peeled betel nut shell, split into about eight-quarters of a betel nut.

Outside of school hours or at home, she often helped her mother with household chores. This included preparing betel quid for her grandmother when regular guests came to visit. Sometimes she had to prepare betel quid for someone according to their request. She did it so often that she knew by heart what everyone liked or disliked in their betel quid… Perhaps that’s why she was so impressed by and remembered her grandmother’s “fairy tale food.” She still remembered the betel quid fairy tale she had learned. She also often heard her grandmother mention it whenever she talked about the meaning of brotherhood, the bond between siblings, the unwavering love between husband and wife, and the devotion between husband and wife…

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Just as it kept remembering the market that bore countless footprints from its childhood...

But the local market has changed so much now; its old charm is gone. Even though it has become a "millionaire of time," it still isn't generous enough for those wandering feet searching for the memories of the old market days in their hometown!

All that remains is a memory. Warmth. Indescribable...

(6.26)

Essays by Nguyen Thi Thanh Ngoc

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Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/mon-an-co-tich-a206522.html