Whether farming, gardening, or cultivating fields, the rainy season is a precious gift from nature, allowing fruit trees to bloom and rice plants to bear grain. But even with all the waiting, one must endure the scorching sun before the rain arrives. The March and April sunshine brings with it abundant ripe fruit, a season often likened to the fruit festival of Southern Vietnam. Rambutan, longan, mango, durian, mangosteen… in their sweet, fragrant season, are carried by traders to all provinces and cities, bringing with them a sweet and fragrant season of Southern Vietnam.
The best fruit is one that ripens perfectly on the branch, nurtured by the sun to achieve a rich, sweet flavor. That's why people generously give each other these fruits, even just a few early-season ones are precious. As the seasonal rains become more frequent, the sweetness of the fruit at the end of the season diminishes somewhat. And when buying fruit at the market, vendors often add, "Please understand, it's been raining too much lately, so it's not as sweet as it was before." There's no need to ask for clarification or elaborate explanations; it's a natural assumption that tropical fruits are less sweet with more rain than with more sunshine… And for generations, the people of the Mekong Delta haven't complained about the sweetness, because sunshine and rain are matters of nature, and the natural cycle of fruit is simply the way life is.
The summer sun not only nurtures the sweet fruits of the season but also dries out the salty flavors of our homeland. Sun-dried fish, preserved for a long time, becomes a delicacy whether fried or grilled. In the increasingly rapid pace of urbanization, our hometown's dried fish has also made its way onto e-commerce platforms, becoming a highly sought-after specialty. Because the fish, dried in the warm, sunny air, has firm flesh, infused with a rich salt and a hint of pepper and chili, even the most skilled cook can transform it into a culinary masterpiece, worthy of a restaurant's top-of-the-line menu.
And in the scorching summer sun, even Mother's possessions were dried. The gourd vines, the bean plants, or the okra plants in the garden—Mother saved the ripe gourds, the shriveled okra pods on the plants, ready to fall at the slightest touch, brought inside to separate the seeds for planting when the rain came. The old gourds were used to make scouring pads for washing dishes, and the seeds were saved for planting. During the dry season, Mother also took the opportunity to teach her daughters all sorts of household chores. In the summer, lotuses bloomed abundantly in the pond, jasmine and pomelo blossoms were dried and used to make tea, some for drinking and some saved for two cups of hot, fragrant tea each day for Father.
The summer sun sweetens the ripening fruit, but the water in the rivers, canals, and ditches around the house is acidic and brackish. During the dry season, rainwater is scarce; if you want to use river water, you have to let it settle, hoping it'll temporarily wash your hands and feet, or rinse the hoe and shovel to remove the mud from the garden... And in that stifling, oppressive heat, a whole world of childhood memories is nurtured, sometimes scorching your hair golden, yet still chasing kites, running across the countryside. And then, dreams fly high and far, but when you grow up, you deeply appreciate that golden sunshine and cherish that summer, full of hard work, toil, and the sweet scent of home.
Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/thuong-mua-nang-ha-post794701.html
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