Passed down through two generations of daughters-in-law

Accordingly, the beef ball porridge shop of Ms. Diep Thuy Lan (87 years old) and her sister has been a familiar destination for many diners in Ho Chi Minh City for over 30 years.

Daughter-in-law quit accounting job to take over mother-in-law's business

It was drizzling at noon in Ho Chi Minh City. On my way to work, craving something to warm my stomach, I stopped by Mrs. Lan's porridge shop located on Tran Hung Dao Street (District 5). I had known about this restaurant before through a friend's recommendation. People often called this restaurant the "2 old ladies" porridge shop, because every time I came, I saw Mrs. Lan and her sister, despite their old age, still meticulously serving customers.

Mixed beef ball porridge costs 43,000 VND at Ms. Lan's restaurant.

It had been a long time since I visited, but now the shop was still crowded with customers, filling all 5-6 tables in the cozy family space, with laughter and chatter, but now only Mrs. Lan was left. When I asked, I learned that Mrs. Diep Thuy Binh, the younger sister who sold porridge with Mrs. Lan, had passed away more than a year ago, at the age of 83. Now, only the older sister remained.

Mrs. Lan is now in her 90s, and is still lucid and cheerful. Her granddaughter-in-law, Mr. Binh's daughter-in-law, is now in charge of the porridge shop. Mrs. Lan comes and goes, helping with whatever work she can. Every now and then, she pulls up a chair and sits down to chat with a few regular customers.

Lan told us that in 1990, after retiring from decades of civil service, she and her sister decided to open this porridge shop. The porridge recipe was passed down by Binh's mother-in-law. However, to learn how to cook it, Binh had to study with her mother-in-law for 3 years.

The two sisters' porridge shop, now only Mrs. Lan remains.

After retirement, Mrs. Lan said she did not want to be idle, she still wanted to continue working, earning money to support herself without having to rely on her children and grandchildren. So the two sisters devoted all their heart to this porridge shop, cooking according to the same recipe that has not changed for decades.

The good news spread far and wide, and the restaurant gradually had a stable number of regular customers. They have been quietly serving customers for over 3 decades. Ms. Lan confided that the reason the porridge restaurant has been able to retain customers for all these years is thanks to the secret of cooking porridge.

Ms. Lan Anh (38 years old, granddaughter-in-law of Mr. Lan) is the current successor of the shop. She said that 3 years ago, she was working as an accountant for a company in Ho Chi Minh City, with a stable income. Seeing her mother and aunt getting older, she decided to quit her job to stick with her family's porridge shop.

I have been working at the restaurant since I was in school. Growing up, especially after my mother passed away, I was even more motivated to maintain this restaurant because it was the hard work of my aunt and mother, and it would be a shame to let it go!

Ms. Lan Anh, Inherited the restaurant

[CLIP]: Porridge of 2 old ladies for 30 years in Ho Chi Minh City.

Eat porridge to warm your stomach, watch the rain in Saigon...

Coming to this porridge shop, I found peace in the space of a clean and cozy family restaurant. Listening to the friendly laughter of the customers sitting next to me, the fragrant smell of porridge that was always kept warm, looking out at the wide road ahead with the hustle and bustle of cars in the rain... it felt so peaceful.

That is also the feeling of Mr. Tran Hieu (57 years old, living in District 1), a customer who has been eating at this restaurant for nearly 20 years. He said that because he likes the taste of porridge at this restaurant of 2 old ladies, he visits every week, sometimes 2-3 times, sometimes once.

Cleanly processed ingredients are also what the old lady is most proud of.

“The rainy season comes more often here. Eating porridge here, especially the pig intestines, you can clearly feel how clean it is. Eating here is safe, very clean, very delicious,” Mr. Hieu laughed happily, looking at his wife sitting at the same table.

Meanwhile, for Mr. Hai (30 years old), this porridge shop is a special childhood memory. When he was little, he said his mother often took him here to eat porridge. The shop's premises have remained unchanged for decades.

He said that back then, when he was studying abroad, every time he came home to visit, he stopped by to eat here. Now, after many years of living and working in Ho Chi Minh City, he is still attached to the restaurant that carries the flavors of his childhood.

Ms. Lan Anh quit her job as an accountant to follow in her husband's family's footsteps.

Here, each portion of porridge costs from 20,000 VND to 43,000 VND. The shop opens at around 10:30 AM and sells until sold out. Usually, the pot is sold out by around 3 PM. It seems that the regular customers here are all too familiar with this fixed time frame.

Mr. Lan and Ms. Lan Anh, like that, still work hard every day beside the hot pot of porridge. They bring the special flavor of beef ball porridge that has been passed down through many generations to satisfy diners near and far...

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/quan-chao-long-2-ba-cu-nay-chi-con-nguoi-chi-truyen-qua-2-doi-con-dau-185230727140917499.htm