Bitter bamboo is the earliest of all types of bamboo shoots. In the high mountains all year round, there is white mist where bitter bamboo shoots grow. Thick fogs are dense early in the morning, thin late afternoon fog always keeps the forest cool and grows shoots of bamboo shoots. It is known that the bamboo shoot season is due to the acacia tree along the stream. When seen under the leaf armpits, the tips of the twigs sprouted young, purple, shiny buds, they called each other to look for bamboo shoots. The young tree buds signal that the bamboo shoots in the forest have sprouted. Every year the buds on the tree grow more, that year the rain will be favorable and the bamboo shoots will be more delicious. The tree grows only along streams, bitter bamboo shoots like to live in high mountains. Who found that predestined relationship? I do not know. Hearing the old people say, grandparents in the old days took a lot of work, sometimes even their lives could find the tubers, the fruit that could be eaten, the leaves, the plants that could be treated. The forest is immense, there are many mysteries. Every time you go to the forest, do not just rely on the available experience, you must know to find for yourself valuable experiences, to tell your neighbors, to tell your children, to your children. If you want to get bamboo shoots deep underground, you must find by experience. Digging out the dry leaves around the bamboo base, seeing where the soil was pushed up, the meniscus was stretched and ached, and there was a rough crack like the roots of a tree, there was bamboo shoots. The first shoot must be enjoyed immediately. At this time, bamboo shoots have not yet grown from the ground, so it is very sweet. Peel off the pale purple skin, white bamboo shoots. Get the packet of grilled chili salt available from home and place it down on the dry leaves for dipping. Perhaps only bitter bamboo shoots can be eaten raw, because they do not taste as bitter and spicy as other types of bamboo shoots. There are times when people find bamboo shoots according to the traces of the pineapple. Bamboo shoot is the most favorite dish of the mountain. Just sniffing is to know where there are sleeping bamboo shoots. But the bamboo shoots in the depths and the piles are small. It gurgled from night to morning but still had not seen the bamboo shoot. In the morning people also go to the forest to look for bamboo shoots. You just need to find the holes and dig a few holes, dig a few more spades to have bamboo shoots in your boss. Anyone who knows how to think will leave it for a piece of bamboo, whoever greedily will take it. Poor uncle so hungry, sitting in the cave looking regretfully, waiting for someone to go to run out to gnaw some remaining bamboo shoots. When the new rain brought the thunder of the beginning of the season, thundering running along the roofs, running across the rice fields, the bitter bamboo shoots in the forest reaching out to sprout the soil. The sound of thunder calls bamboo shoots up. The sound of thunder transmits soul, personality, and bitterness. Jagged shoots to grow. The earrings are like ears pushed up and listen to thunder and rain. Then, the sweet taste of bamboo shoots will gradually turn bitter. At first it was messy, then bitter, crispy and bitter. Bitter taste makes us feel hungry when a certain season of bamboo shoots away from the mountains and home. There are also people who do not like the bitter taste, they already have young acacia leaves. The acacia leaf is a type of acrid leaf, perhaps the most acrid among the acrid leaves. Pick up the bunch of leaves, roll them around the bamboo shoots, dot in the bowl diagonally, bring them to your mouth to chew. Seeing that the bitter taste is only as thin as the afternoon dew, the crispy sweet taste like bamboo shoots mixed with the pulp of the acrid leaves, the bitter taste of the wild chili, the numbness of the tongue of the cocoon fruit, the salty taste of salt. . Eating bamboo shoots in a warm dinner and seeing all the sweetness, bitterness. This morning, passing the stream Waiting for Cage, I suddenly stood in awe in front of the acacia tree. Each bunch of young, shiny, purple leaves have turned blue ever since. Bewildered at the top of the branch, shy under the leaf armpits, like bunches of bright yellow buds like drops of honey flies drinking from the sun. Hidden in the canopy of leaves and leaves, there have been a few hours of early summer calls. Just a few more days, the drops of honey will bloom into hundreds of brilliant yellow flowers. At that time, the bitter bamboo shoot season also passed …

Especially the meat has the smell of smoke. The smoke bursts into the nose like mustard. But it is not pungent, not harsh, not spicy, not as strong as mustard. Bacon also has high antibacterial and antiseptic properties. Especially low in calories, very beneficial for health. Meat while hanging upstairs in the kitchen. During the traditional Lunar New Year holidays, my hometown’s family members all by themselves slaughter pigs for Tet. Pig New Year is given special pampering, only give it about 50 kg, no more. The people below are called swine ounces. And the Tay people call it mu ot. The meat is divided to pack banh chung, make offerings to ancestors, cook a feast to treat relatives, brothers, and friends … The extra meat is filled with hot, full of stalks, full of rice (cuoi xoi is a household item made of woven bamboo of the Tay people). Just looking at it, my eyes felt full. The oldest descendants learn according to the elders, making the meat dishes hanging from the kitchen for smoking, used to store food gradually, it seems that is the main thing. The smoked pork steak is prepared in a traditional way. The sliced ​​meat was larger, cut twice as thick as the machiner’s hand, and left as long as possible. Each piece of meat weighs about 2 to 5 pounds. To make up for a long time it loses. After seasoning with white wine, mix with refined salt, especially crushed mountain ginger. Wait for the meat to infuse spices, it will turn from white, to yellow, then tie it up to the pole, hang under the kitchen attic. Just like that. It’s easy. Anyone can do it. Then string the meat to hang on the pole. The wrong dangling meat is like a loofah. Visitors come to visit the house, always remember to lower their heads, otherwise they will touch the flesh. In the early days of hanging, the meat gave off a fishy smell, stinking, sour, stubborn … but it was attractive to men. Especially men or alcohol. The stinging smell evokes irresistible cravings. The smoked kitchen guard is a great invention of our Tay fathers. The elders told them to do so, to prevent natural disasters, storms, flash floods … suddenly crashed. In case someone in the house suddenly came to visit and so on and so forth. The owner does not have to roll up his pants and hats to the market to buy food for guests. It means that a hundred things suddenly appear, so you need to anticipate and prepare. In the remote mountainous areas, the pigs suck, half a day away from the market. In the past, there was no refrigerator in the house, the transportation was very complicated, the traffic was not convenient like in the plain and in the city. People only need less than an hour to get enough. Even at midnight, there is also someone to serve to take home. Long-smoked steaks never worry about spoilage or rotting. This meat is very strange, there is how much water and tissue is automatically squeezed out by the fire smoke, leaving only genuine lean fat meat. The meat is solid. The bacon from my hometown is different from the birch bacon of a western lady. They still have to keep the meat and fish in the refrigerator there. That means that bacon is not much different from fresh meat. Probably people smoke through the speakers to take the smoke as an example. Or to get the smell of promete … Of course, its shelf life is only a few or four months is the train theater. Saying that, I do not mean to disparage Tay for not knowing how to do like the Tay. Because of their ecological environment, they are different from themselves. Their criteria for enjoying food are also different from mine. They differ completely from each other in every way, especially in terms of inhalation and intake. Smoked meat when it is processed into a dish. And the smoked meat of the Tay’s kitchen, just using a knife to cut each slice from the pole to bring it down. Wash thoroughly with water to wash the rice, scrub it clean and dust, then slice it thinly, fry it with fresh garlic. Food will smell like grilled grass, it has the effect of lowering fat in the liver and blood sugar, lowering blood pressure. If sauteed with lemongrass leaves, it can cure cough and phlegm. If stir-fried with star fruit will aid digestion, lose weight, increase eyesight, and supplement protein. If fried with bamboo shoots will prevent cancer, anti-inflammation, good for the heart … In short, the ancestors of the Tày – Nung people knew how to rationalize daily food with medicinal plants, planted in the home garden, available in the forest. It means you want everything you want. Want to scoop at any time. Not fiddly with prelude, time consuming. What else. Like that but dysentery. Therefore, the body of the Tay-Nung boy is like a statue of David coming out. All men are tall, strong, muscular, and have few diseases. Up to this twenty-first century, but still smoked kitchen guard pork is still hanging in the house. Although many people, many families have bought new curved fridges, which are Samsung, Sharp, Hitachi, Pansonic, LG … gleaming with rows of fresh and delicious food for the whole week and month without having to worry about carrying. market lane. But let me say honestly, food no matter how fresh it is, but keeping them in the refrigerator is like embalming the quintessence of heaven and earth. It is against the law of nature. Capturing the tastes of consumers, many private establishments in Cao Bang have automatically organized mass production of smoked kitchen guard pig market, which is of commercial nature, no longer follow small seasons. flat like before again. They spend money to build an oven completely. Every oven was as big as a fourth grade house. They smoked it with charcoal and bagasse which was produced locally. Tens of tons of meat per day are licensed for release. Bagasse smoke becomes “special treatment” energy used to smoke meat. And it seems that only the Tay – Nung people can bring into play this sweet and fragrant smoke effect. The modern smoked pork also seems to be somewhat “gentle”, “in uniform” than the seniors. They are no longer “harsh” rushing into the nose like the smoke of firewood stewed by her. The Cao Bang bacon that goes with any kind of rice is strangely juicy. Remember when eating, need to chew thoroughly. Chew like to go for a walk to watch fish. While chewing while listening to the root of my teeth, fresh water is pouring out. Sweet gradually sweetened to the ears. But the best is eaten with sticky sticky rice phjng (bee sticky rice). The oldest, delicious sticky sticky rice variety remains only at Ngoc Con, Chongqing. When the sticky rice was poured out of the mouth and put it in the bowl, the cloudy white smoke immediately jumped up, covering the meat smoke. Smoke fell into the smoke like a hundred years to meet again. They immediately shut their eyes shut together. They hugged each other panting. They twisted tangerines to bite each other. They clasped together like this time was their last love. Today’s smoked kitchen guard has become a specialty brand of Cao Bang cuisine. Smoked meat is carefully and carefully preserved by the establishment’s owner, packed with cellophane, and vacuum-aspirated. One can take it anywhere, give it to anyone, any season. Bacon is ready to serve all subjects, restaurants …