Rainy afternoon in a foreign land

Snow always has a magical white beauty, making those born in temperate countries always eagerly wait to... take virtual photos. But when mentioning rain, everyone feels sad, their voice drops, and they sound weak. Only then do they realize that when they are far from home, looking at the afternoon rain, their hearts are all confused and heartbroken.

The rain here is strange, completely different from the sudden downpours in Saigon, or the long, heart-wrenching rains like in Ninh Hoa. Winter rain is cold and bitter. Summer is hot and humid, crazy with thunderstorms and rumbling lightning, a specialty of America. It rains as if the sky has been storing up water all year and doesn’t know what to do with it, so it just pours it all down on the world like a waterfall.

And in the afternoon, after work, instead of watching the pouring rain and feeling nauseous, I went into the kitchen, rummaged through the refrigerator and made all kinds of dishes to eat to make the family happy.

Mackerel or linh fish sauce is pre-made, ground, put in jars, imported from Vietnam and sold in Asian markets. Scoop a little into a bowl, crack about five duck eggs, add onion, a few slices of chili, pepper, sugar, stir gently to mix and steam. After a while, use chopsticks to poke into the bowl of fish sauce to check. If the chopsticks are dry, the fish sauce is cooked, if the chopsticks are wet, it is not, wait a little longer. Take the opportunity to beat the yolk and pour it on top to make it look more eye-catching. When the fish sauce is cooked, it is fragrant and delicious. Eaten with rice paper or white rice with raw vegetables and cucumber, it is a delicacy.

The squids with eggs, full of fat, caught from the sea of Ninh Hoa, soaked in salt water, then piled on a grill or tray, dried in the sun for a few days were carefully brought over by us. The simplest dish is grilled salty squid. If there is no charcoal, turn on the gas stove. Remember to turn it evenly to avoid burning. If you are too lazy, wrap it in paper and microwave it. The salty, fragrant smell of squid wafts throughout the house. Two squids are enough to eat a bowl of rice. Biting into the thick layer of sticky rice is so sticky.

Salty squid braised with pepper and eaten with hot rice is a no-brainer. Before braising, soak it in salt water to reduce the saltiness. Rinse with cold water, cut into finger-sized pieces, season with sugar, MSG, oil, onion, pepper, chili, coconut water, and braise until sticky. The ink sac bursts open, making the water black. After braising for a while, the squid shrinks and the water thickens. The squid is delicious, but the braised water is ten times more delicious. Pour it over the rice, mix well, and feel the whole sea of the homeland on the tip of your tongue.

In this country, duck eggs are ten times more expensive than chicken eggs. But my refrigerator always has a tray full because I love the rich flavor of the pink egg yolk. Mix a bowl of fish sauce, slice a green chili, put the eggs in, and mash them with a spoon. The fish sauce mixes with the fragrant duck eggs. I scoop a bowl of rice, scoop a spoonful of eggs, and chew the sticky rice. So all the fatty, sweet, nutty, salty, and spicy flavors blend together. I remember the old days, when it was flooded and I couldn’t go to the market. My mother cooked a pot of rice, told some sisters to pick bamboo shoots, take out the duck eggs, boil them, mash them with fish sauce, and put them in the middle of the house. The family of more than ten people waded through the water and ate the rice. We were poor but had so much joy that it was impossible to describe.

I thought that after years of being away from home, closing my eyes and seeing only work and bills, my soul would become calloused. Suddenly, in the pouring rain of a foreign land, sitting down to eat some rustic dishes, I suddenly felt moved and sad.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chieu-mua-vien-xu-185250816185439171.htm