Dawn from the other side of the Perfume River. The cool morning breeze carries our feet down to Dap Da. The southern bank is still sleepy because of the bustling pedestrian streets last night, but the sun has already set a few steps from Truong Tien to Dong Ba market, where buyers and sellers are. Here and there, beef noodle, mussel rice, and rice noodle stalls from Thuy Duong, Mai market, and No market are rushing to spread out throughout the small alleys. Let's ride through Con Hen, sister. I sniffed at the pots of freshly boiled corn with the steam rising, then went to a roadside restaurant and ordered some bowls of mussel rice. I feel sorry for the roosters who crow at noon, who rake in one hand, carry the riverbank silt in the other, soak it carefully, boil it, and separate the shells. The mussel meat is stir-fried over low heat with fat, onions, dried bamboo shoots, and shredded pork belly. A few slices of fragrant ginger add flavor to the broth. And the dance of herbs, Vietnamese coriander, mint, banana flower, sour star fruit, green mango on a bowl of white rice with dried shrimp, peanuts, roasted sesame, pork rinds and grilled rice paper... What else is missing, sour, spicy, salty, sweet, yin and yang, all in one. This taste is the nostalgia of those who are far from home for many years. She exclaimed with tears in her eyes, laughing and saying. How can we eat Hue food far from Hue!
Just found out that Hue is so strangely lovely. There are new dishes that call out to me, even in the 38-40 degree heat of noon, I still get up and go.
In the afternoon, the sun shines gently with the wind. The road on both sides of the Huong River is shaded by green trees and flowers. Our country is harsh with sun and wind, to become a "city of four seasons of flowers" is also the effort of those who are passionate about this land. Flowers bloom brightly in the parks, along the walkways, intertwined with the ancient trees on the streets. Red phoenix flowers tilt and cast shadows on the clear water. Banh beo, nam, loc and dozens of other dishes for a quick meal are everywhere in the city. From Kim Long to Vy Da gardens, banh beo is displayed in restaurants crowded with tourists or following the Nam Pho banh canh cart to the windy alleys and the sounds of children asking for gifts. Plates of banh beo are arranged on clear bamboo trays with the color of fish sauce, crispy pork fat, and attractive shrimp powder; spring rolls with aromatic vegetables and grilled meat smelling fragrant in the wind; add a glass of iced lemonade, but it is Hue lemon that has a sour and fragrant taste. She smiled and watched the river flowing down from Thien Mu pagoda wharf. The jade-colored water reflects a few streaks of clouds drifting from Phung Mountain. Oh Hue!
I went back to Thuan An to welcome the full moon on the sea, passing Tam Giang lagoon, Con Toc, Con Te to have dinner with shrimp, squid, seaweed salad, jellyfish salad or I cooked a bowl of shrimp soup with mixed vegetables just picked from the garden, a plate of pork with pickled bean sprouts, sour shrimp and a plate of goby fish stewed in thick fish sauce, sugar and pepper. Yes, let's go home to eat instead of going to a clay pot restaurant, which has the same taste as my mother used to cook. My town now craves Italian noodles, bread with mushroom cream sauce or a bowl of vermicelli with fish sauce, a bowl of crab noodle soup, all of which are easy to find. Western restaurants line the main streets, but Hue dishes still attract diners and locals because of their richness and uniqueness that "can't be found anywhere else". She exclaimed after dinner and mentioned the streets selling sweet soup that people still find hard to forget the taste of even in their dreams. Do you remember more than fifty sweet soups? Should we stop by Mrs. Ton Dich's shop to try roasted pork sweet soup or go to Hem sweet soup to eat mixed sweet soup?
We hold in our hands the scent of Hue in a cup of lotus tea. From Ben Thuong Bac, we look up at the moon rising, shimmering on the Truong Tien bridge. The plants and trees drink the water of the Huong River, as if imbued with the sweet, fragrant taste of a summer night. Coming to Hue, each season has its own dishes, the dishes that carry the soul of the homeland are forever remembered by those who are far away.
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