Telling village stories

Opening my friend’s kitchen cabinet to look for spices, I came across a yellow-brown porcelain bowl shaped like a pumpkin. The bowl has a lid, the bowl in the past when my mother was young, she used to store lard for the family to use gradually. Opening the lid, the solid ivory white color of the bowl of fat was carefully stored by you. Your voice rang out: “My mother bought some lard the other day. She still keeps a bowl of lard in the kitchen like when we were kids. She bought a lot so she sent a bowl to her daughter.” Your explanation about my mother’s concern brought back memories of the small kitchen in my mind. About the old wooden cupboard, about the top shelf where my mother kept the spice jars and there was the ceramic fat bowl that any child like me would love…

No one in their 70s or 80s is unfamiliar with the ceramic bowl of lard containing the fragrant, greasy scent of solidified lard with an opaque, ivory white color. At that time, cooking oil was not as popular as it is now, so lard was the top choice. A bowl of fat seems to make a mother’s pantry full, a bowl of fat makes her dishes more greasy, and a bowl of fat also makes her children excited because after giving birth, that layer of solidified fat is Next to the bowl of lard, mother will have a bowl of fatty pork rinds simmered in fish sauce and eaten with hot rice, making everyone’s eyes sparkle with excitement.

In those days, every time my mother went to the market and saw thick white fat, I thought she would buy it and fry it to eat the fat. The pieces of fat with a thin layer of lean meat on top were washed by my father, cut into evenly thick pieces and placed in a Hai Phong aluminum pan with two handles for frying. Just a moment in the white aluminum pan mixed with some black stains due to being used to do many things: stir-frying vegetables, roasting meat, frying fat… it gave off the rich aroma of lard.

The pan of fat boiled evenly, my mother kept the heat low for fear of burning the fat, and most importantly, she wanted the pork rinds to not be shriveled because it was also a food that could prepare many dishes to fill my family’s dinner table. The crackling sound of the dry, crispy longan wood sticks mixed with the firelight seemed to dance, causing my mother’s fat to ripple in a light yellow color, entwined with pieces of fat that were inviting my sisters and me.

Once the batch of fried lard was finished, mother waited for it to cool, then poured the lard into a ceramic bowl (tureen) with a lid and then she let it rest in the corner of the cupboard. The amount of golden white pork rinds and the aroma of the little lean meat at the top of the small pork rinds made us, my mother’s children, immediately think of pork rinds simmered in fish sauce, pork rinds stir-fried with chicken eggs or a more luxurious dish. Pork fat makes crispy spring roll filling. The meal consisted of only stir-fried vegetables and lard served with the main dish of pork rinds with variations from the mother’s diligent and mature hands, but everyone’s heart was filled with anticipation for the tray of rice to be quickly prepared for their delight. Enjoy the delicious flavor from a plate of fragrant and greasy stir-fried water spinach with garlic, and the fat from the soft, chewy pork rinds.

In just a moment, my mother’s wood-cooked rice cooker hit the bottom along with the empty plates and bowls of pork fat. The youngest child rubbed his stomach because he was full of rice and asked his mother: “Tomorrow, mom, make fried pork fat with eggs. Ut likes to eat it very much.” Mom smiled gently and rubbed the youngest head: “Dad, my older brother, being good means having pork fat stir-fried with eggs. What’s wrong, mom’s pantry is full of pork fat”…

Besides stir-frying vegetables, frying spring rolls, frying rice or omelettes,… mother’s fat makes my three sisters and I enjoy it even more than occasionally on those cold winter Sunday mornings. Mom got up early to make a fire to cook sticky rice and sticky rice. Dad went to the village to change it. Just for a moment in the kitchen, the flickering firelight of that winter day, the warm smell of the fire mingled with the scent of Dad’s new pot of sticky, fragrant sticky rice.

The sisters rushed into the kitchen, the youngest considered herself the privilege of snuggling in her mother’s lap, where there was a thick cotton shirt she wore, where there was love filled with her asking for breakfast. A bowl of steaming hot sticky rice, fragrant with the smell of sticky rice, was smeared by my mother with a little fatty, congealed lard. Hot sticky rice makes that layer of white fat gradually melt into sticky sticky rice grains, making the sticky rice bowl more attractive and inviting. While eating, everyone said: “Mom’s lard sticky rice is the best.” Everyone’s eyes were smiling with joy…

In modern life, lard is replaced by convenient cooking oil. But for me, in the land of ancient memories, the fatty aroma of lard, the smell of pork rinds, or the image of the brown ceramic bowl my mother often requisitioned to store lard as a witness, as a beautiful memory that has been raised. Nurtured my sisters’ childhood. There, in the small kitchen where my beloved cupboard had a magical bowl of grease, I felt like I saw my mother’s gentle smile and happy eyes again every time my mother worked hard to create dishes that were simple and rustic but warm and friendly. family.

The landscape on this river is very lively and bustling when spring comes and Tet comes with many small boat wharves to serve people traveling and fishing on the river, especially during the goby season from September (last year). to February (next year).

Endemic goby species of Po Ko River

Traveling on the Po Ko River in the spring, visitors can fish to catch quite large goby fish – an “endemic” fish that has appeared in recent years. Tourists will end a full day of roaming and fishing on the river by boat when sunset gradually falls on the Central Highlands.

The most interesting thing is when night falls, the chirping sound of insects mixes with the cool forest breeze, small waves roll against the side of the boat, it is also the time when tourists spread out mats and gather on the boat waiting for the moon to rise with a glass of forest wine. Savor grilled, steamed, braised, porridge goby fish… that you caught yourself. At this time, the moon appeared, outside the boat, thousands of silvery moonlight fell across the lake surface and then burst onto the sparkling water surface as if taking tourists lost in a “movie scene” on “Po Ko Lake Cave”.

The “fishers” here said that the goby fishing season on the Po Ko River starts around winter and lasts until late spring. This fishing profession is also quite elaborate because it requires manual fishing and understanding of the characteristics of this fish as well as the cycle of ups and downs of water levels in each location and each season.

Because they live at the bottom of the river with yellow soil and lots of moss, Po Ko river goby fish are quite large (some weighing nearly 5 kilograms) with big heads and white bellies; fins, skin “camouflage” black, gray; Different from goby in other places, residents often call it “camouflage” goby or “Po Ko” goby.

This camouflage goby lives in the pure freshwater environment of the Po Ko River, so it is considered a clean food rich in nutrients. In particular, the camouflage goby has white meat, quite sweet and crispy, with few bones, but the bones are soft, so the camouflage goby is popular with many people. Camouflage goby is processed into delicious dishes such as: Cooking porridge, deep-frying, grilled, hot pot, braised, braised with turmeric or cooked in sour soup… all are delicious and full of flavor.

Po Ko goby fish braised with rim, braised with turmeric

Freshly caught Po Ko goby fish is processed into a delicious dried braised goby dish. First, scrub around the goby’s body to remove scales and slime; Cut the belly, remove the intestines, wash, drain and cut into pieces (because the fish is quite large) then marinate with spices such as fresh turmeric, purple onion, seasoning powder, chili powder, pepper; The water was colored, but after only 1 hour of simmering under the red fire, the golden cockroach wing-colored goby stew with a sweet fragrance was beautifully presented on the simple, simple tray of a mountainous family for a treat. distinguished guest”.

Po Ko goby braised with turmeric is cooked as follows: Clean the goby, drain and cut into pieces, marinate with spices such as fresh turmeric, purple onions, seasoning powder, chili powder, and pepper, leave for about 15 minutes to absorb the spices. Peel the turmeric, wash it and drain it, then cut it into thin pieces and chop the green onions. Put the pot on the stove, add cooking oil and stir-fry turmeric and purple onion until the turmeric turns a beautiful yellow color, add fish, season with fish sauce, sugar, add water and simmer until the water thickens. Season to taste, sprinkle green onions, pepper, chili and stir. The dish of Po Ko goby braised with turmeric is yellow, dotted with the green of green onions, and the red of chili, looking very eye-catching. This dish is eaten with hot, sticky white rice and each piece of fish is firm, fragrant, and has an indescribable smell of fresh turmeric.

Po Ko goby cooked in sour soup with giang leaves

Giang leaf soup with Po Ko goby is cooked as follows: Clean the goby’s scales, remove the gills, chop the fins, and cut into pieces. Pick the leaves, wash them, soak them in diluted salt water, and drain. Pour into a saucepan about 1 liter of boiling water. Put the fish in and simmer until the water boils again for about 10-15 minutes until the fish is cooked. Add the Giang leaves in after squeezing the leaves with your hands until they are crushed. Use chopsticks to gently mix the galangal leaves and a few crushed green chili peppers until they are evenly covered in the pot. Wait for the water in the pot to boil again for a few minutes, then lift it down, season to taste and drop in some chopped coriander leaves to enhance the aroma. A bowl of goby soup cooked with giang leaves is both delicious and delicious, imbued with the sour taste of giang leaves, the aroma of coriander and the moderate spiciness of chili, captivating many tourists from near and far.

In the early days of spring, when the weather is hot and sunny, tourists go to Kong Chro district (Gia Lai) to visit and sightsee on the poetic and charming Po Ko river and enjoy a meal with turmeric braised goby and sour fish soup. There’s nothing better than cooking gooseberry with giang leaves to “dispel fatigue”. The “mountain ladies” in Dak Ko Ning, Ya Ma… when cooking this soup often “soak” a song for tourists: “Goby fish cooked with galangal leaves/ I was in a trance after eating one bowl” or “The rumor of Po Ko goby fish/ Crispy meat, fatty meat, waiting for someone”.

The story goes that there was a Jrai “fisherwoman” along the Po Ko river who often treated her boyfriend from a Kinh ethnic group in the coastal region who came to her house to play with fish porridge. I don’t know whether it was because he loved the mountain girl in the fishing village or because he loved the “camouflage goby fish” that the two later became husband and wife. Later, there was a song passed down: “Delicious bowl of porridge/ Po Ko, I remember what you gave me/ Pray for abundant shrimp, fish…/ Sweet bowl of soup you cooked on spring day…”.

The image of shrimp is inherently very close to the people of the South in general and the West in particular. Unlike sea urchins, which have thin, tiny bodies, Western gull shrimps are usually larger than shrimps, with bodies the size of chopstick heads and hard shells as clear and blue as jade.

On hot summer days, when the surrounding river’s water dries up, I often follow my father into the fields to scoop shrimp. Most people in my hometown choose to scoop up shrimp to use as food to feed eels and storks. Every time I bring shrimp home, my father often recites the folk song: “The peacock scoops up shrimp and feeds the eel / Raise it until it grows big and it crawls away.”

When he saw that we were wondering about the meaning of the sentence, my father – who was a young retired literature teacher – gently explained that the image of a shrimp was included in folk songs and proverbs to express an honest, caring heart. Just help and share. But unfortunately, sometimes helping with all your heart still meets people’s betrayal and ingratitude.

“In my childhood memories, around May, when the cool wind sways the Hau River, shrimp will appear in most of the canals, ditches, ponds, and lakes in the fields. After a long sleep in the season In the spring, in the shells clinging to the surface of the fields or in the holes of frogs, crabs, eels, snakes… the shrimp will begin a self-reliant life. This is also the time when farmers in my hometown begin to sow. The rice and green rice seedlings gradually mature with the flow of water, and the shrimps also grow larger.

Around the 7th and 8th months of the lunar calendar, when the rice begins to ripen and become golden, the people in my hometown are excited for the new harvest so they start draining the fields into most of the canals and canals. This is also the ideal shrimp fishing season. In my hometown, there are many different ways of fishing. However, the simplest way is usually to use the method of closing the bottom, thickening, placing in a trap, fishing with a net or scooping with a basket.

I still remember a time in my hometown, suddenly there was a movement to catch shrimp using bagua nets. I heard that was quite interesting so I decided to imitate it as well as my friends. Seeing me carrying homemade bagua nets to catch, my father just smiled and said nothing. I thought it was a simple job. As a child, I gently placed the net in the ditch and sat leisurely waiting. I could not have imagined that when I pulled it up, there were only a few seaweed shrimp jumping around as if making fun of my naivety.

Looking at the son who kept pulling his hair, my father felt sorry for him and said: “If you don’t put the bait in the net, how can the shrimp bite the bait?” After Dad said that, he quickly went to the neighbor to ask for some crabs from Uncle Tu’s field, then gently crushed them and put them in my net. I felt confident when I saw that, so I gently placed the net in the evening. Sure enough, when I woke up in the morning, I saw a lot of seaweed shrimp and goby fish.

For the people of my hometown, shrimp are a popular, cheap food source but rich in protein and calcium and easy to prepare. On leisurely days, my father often prepares shrimp dishes to share with his drinking friends. Every day when she scoops up a lot of shrimp, my mother will take the opportunity to prepare spicy and fragrant roasted shrimp, or use the shrimp to make fish sauce with a strong but sweet and delicious smell.

Sometimes, when there is no food at home, my mother often braises shrimp and fish with pepper, adding a few spices such as fish sauce, chili, garlic… just that is enough for the family to have a delicious meal. People from my hometown also often take advantage of homegrown plants to create delicious dishes that suit their taste, such as shrimp cooked in sour soup with chopsticks, seasoned with rice, and eaten with salty dishes like roasted shrimp with coconut milk. Just like that, the feeling of being gathered around a tray of rice, eating, drinking, makes anyone who has gone through difficult times of childhood nostalgic.

Occasionally, during the shrimp season, after catching, my family also has the habit of using the shrimp for daily eating, while the rest is dried to cook soup when it rains or when there is no opportunity to go to the fields to look for food. Eat differently. On hot summer days, our children just need to go to the garden to pick natural vegetables such as: spinach, pennywort, mustard greens, amaranth, wild amaranth… and bring them home. My mother will take advantage of those available ingredients to cook a pot of vegetable soup with shrimp. The soup is sweet, cool and pure, with a strong hometown flavor.

On slow death anniversaries, small shrimp are transformed into fried shrimp cakes by the ladies in my hometown or filled with shrimp pancakes with bacon, eaten with herbs and raw vegetables and dipped in fish sauce. sweet and sour, combined with a little garlic and chili.

If you want to change the flavor, people from my hometown will combine it with boiled shrimp mixed with grated papaya salad and boiled pork skin, it’s still very delicious. Just sit around together, enjoy the shrimp cakes, enjoy the crispy aroma mixed with the sweetness of boiled shrimp meat, the fatty, chewy feeling of the pork skin and the crunch of the papaya salad. full of happiness.

Many years have passed, I have grown up and left my hometown, but I still remember my childhood. Sometimes, tired from all the hustle and bustle in the city, I crave the delicious soup cooked with seaweed shrimp. It’s just a pity that my parents are gone, the old house has long been sold, all childhood memories remain only in my mind.

Especially in the buffalo stabbing ceremony, there is a ritual of crying buffalo (place).

Buffalo in the life of the Co Tu people

Coming to the villages of the Co Tu people on the Truong Son range, from the highlands (Co Tu Dal) to the lowlands (Co Tu Phuong), visitors will see that almost every Guol house has a beautiful wood carving of a buffalo. Wooden statue of a buffalo head on the doorstep to enter the house. The image of a buffalo’s head is engraved from the front, with curved horns on both sides, the head is slightly bowed and the eyes next to the ears are turned down.

The Co Tu people call the buffalo T’tri. In the past, the buffalo was considered by the Co Tu people as a precious possession that the bride’s family offered to marry during the engagement ceremony, similar to the gifts the groom’s family gave to the bride’s family, including agates, gongs, and jars. People also often exchange and buy one thing for another with the price unit being buffalo: 1 buffalo, 2 buffaloes. When someone violates the village’s customary law, they will be fined 1 buffalo, 2 buffaloes…

Village elder Y Kong (93 years old, residing in Tong Coói village, Ba commune, Dong Giang district, Quang Nam province) told us about the unique traditional culture of his Co Tu ethnic group, which is the “buffalo crying” ceremony. : Accordingly, in the past, every new rice season, villagers often held a big ceremony. Every house prepares a few delicious dishes at home. After the buffalo stabbing ceremony, they took everyone to Guol’s house to gather together, held a feast for a week, and the buffalo stabbing ceremony also had many complicated rules and customs.

Accordingly, no matter how poor they are, around January, villagers gather money and send people across the mountains to the plains to buy buffaloes. The villagers prepare the newest and most beautiful costumes such as loincloths (Cha lon), short-sleeved shirts (A doot), robes (Aduong), ao dai (Code-ech)… to wear during the stabbing festival. buffalo.

Village elder Le Quang Viet (85 years old, residing in Phu Son village, Ba commune, Dong Giang district, Quang Nam province) said that the Co Tu people have the custom of stabbing buffaloes during harvest festivals (Bhuoi Aví), New rice festival (Cha ha roo Tomeê), Guol festival (Langtori). In the evening of the night before the buffalo stabbing day, a prestigious village elder in the village held a buffalo offering ceremony at the Guol yard. The Co Tu people call it sexual desire. To worship, you must have a pig’s head, boiled chicken and a bottle of wine offered at xnur and pray to Yang that everything is ready and tomorrow, ask Yang to let the villagers kill buffaloes.

Ritual of crying buffalo

Tomorrow, when the buffalo is stabbed, the night before, the whole village gathers to dance and sing happily until late at night, then everyone leaves, only the old people stay up until morning to sacrifice and cry for the buffalo (place). At the beginning of the “eulogy”, the village elders often “cry”: “Dear buffalo, the buffalo has been tied to the anchor, where can I untie it?”… The content of crying for the buffalo often expresses feelings and regrets for the buffalo that has passed its entire life. attached to and served humans, now he becomes a sacrifice to worship Yang.

We had the opportunity to meet Mrs. Truong Thi Soi, nearly 85 years old this year, residing in Gian Bi village (Hoa Bac commune, Hoa Vang district, Da Nang city) who is a “crying buffalo singer” with an inspiring voice. Local people say that with the passionate lamenting songs in the buffalo crying ritual, many buffaloes can understand and hear the cries, so the buffaloes often shed tears. In the middle of the night in the silence and solitude of the vast mountains and forests with a few glimmering fires burning in the middle of Guol yard. About 5 – 6 people sat there while worshiping and beating drums accompanied by plaintive and sorrowful words. The space at this time was very sacred and somber. Singing during the buffalo sacrifice ritual is very unique in the culture of the Co Tu people…”.

“The ritual of crying for the buffalo began when an old person with a prominent position in the village, with a talent for speaking and singing, represented the villagers, stood close to the buffalo, and mourned the buffalo with a very earnest tone such as: ” Dear buffalo, don’t blame the villagers, this is a traditional ritual of the villagers who annually sacrifice the buffalo to heaven, earth, and ancestors to pray for the villagers to be safe, free from diseases, wild animals, and flowers. The colors are lush, everyone is healthy. Pray for the buffalo’s soul to return to heaven safely…” – Village Elder Le Quang Viet confided.

Tung Tung Dance – Da Da

After the “crying buffalo” ritual, groups of Co Tu men, young people, and women carry drums, gongs, swords, spears… dance around the Guol pillar with the Tung tung – Za za dance. Men’s sword dance is very majestic, women’s dance is very graceful.

After this dance they started stabbing buffaloes. First, the village elder stabbed him a few times and gave the spear to the group of healthy young men. A boy who only stabs a buffalo and makes it fall is praised by everyone, or a boy who stabs a buffalo without falling is criticized by everyone.

When the buffalo falls, blood spurts out from its heart, wetting the entire area under the Guol pillar. Some people use sticks to dip this blood and “smear” it on the Guol pillar. This custom is called “Sot ham ca piu mirror”, with the meaning of letting people who have hidden their faces and eyebrows appear on high tree tops without the permission of the “divine emperor” to attend so they enjoy the “blood dish”. That buffalo. In addition, when the buffalo died, the Co Tu people brought pigs, chickens, and beautiful mats to “gift” the buffalo back to the nine streams to use.

Finally, they cut off the buffalo’s head along with a jar of wine and placed it close to the Guol pillar to worship heaven, earth, ancestors, and grandparents, while the buffalo’s body was slaughtered and divided equally among each village household. In the afternoon, after the village elders finished praying for the buffalo head, they took it away to clean and cook for those who contributed to organizing the eating festival the next day.

Nowadays, the custom of buffalo stabbing has been abolished

Nowadays, the Co Tu people respond to cultural and civilized life and people do not go into the forest to hunt wild animals anymore, so the custom of buffalo stabbing has become less frequent and since 2016, the custom of buffalo stabbing has been gradually abolished in the area. highlands of Quang Nam and lowlands of two communes Hoa Phu and Hoa Bac (Hoa Vang district, Da Nang city.

Currently, when conducting the festival, there is also a real buffalo to lead around the hanging Guol pillar buried in the middle of the yard (in some places it can be replaced with a wooden buffalo). After finishing the sacrifice, the buffalo is led behind Guol’s house to cut the meat to offer to Yang and provide food for the attendees.

Retaining traditions such as buffalo crying singing in the Co Tu community, even when the buffalo stabbing ritual has been abolished, is an important way to maintain and preserve spiritual and cultural values. The elderly are often the ones who preserve and transmit this tradition to the younger generation, helping to create a link between the past and the present. Maintaining elements such as song lyrics, lamentations, and emotional singing still retains a deep meaning in the cultural life of the Co Tu community.