Fresh fish... from Vinh River!!!

(Baonghean) - I absolutely love the "ca mat" fish, a type of fish that is both delicious and much cheaper than eel, catfish, and other mountain specialty fish. It's also easy to prepare; it's great braised, and even better fried. In mountain restaurants, "ca mat" is often braised dry with fresh turmeric, or fried until golden brown and served with garlic fish sauce. Absolutely delicious. Every time I go to Con Cuong or Tuong Duong, I always look for a restaurant that serves "ca mat" to make my trip to the mountains worthwhile.

The previous afternoon, I stopped by C8 market in Quang Trung ward (Vinh City) to look for some fresh produce. I happened to pass by a fish stall. A woman called out sharply: "Uncle, buy some fresh fish!" Good heavens, she had a whole basket of perfectly uniform fresh fish, each about the size of my thumb. Like a connoisseur, I checked them and found that each one had crystal-clear eyes, white scales with a bluish sheen, bright red gills, and looked incredibly fresh. I asked how much it was per 100 grams, and she said 12,000 dong. I said 10,000 dong, and I'd take a whole kilogram. I thought she was just haggling for fun, but I would have bought it at the original price of 12,000 dong anyway.

To my surprise, she said, "I'm selling it to you, not to a man. I wouldn't force you to sell it at a high price." After selling it, she smiled broadly and added, "Next time you want to eat fresh fish, just come back here and I'll sell it to you cheaply..."

Upon arriving home, I immediately boasted to the whole family that even in the city, they could now find this type of fish. My younger brother, a science official who came to visit, invited me over for dinner. I made two dishes with 1kg of fish. Half was fried until golden brown and crispy, and the other half was braised with starfruit and fresh turmeric leaves. During the meal, everyone praised the fish, but my brother remained silent, just eating intently, occasionally giving a strange, subtle smile.

After everyone had left, he said, "I thought you'd traveled a lot and know a lot, but it turns out you're quite clueless..." I asked, "Why?" He replied, "Even at Mr. Lai's or Chau Lien 2's restaurants (famous eateries in Con Cuong district), it's hard to find 'ca mat' fish, so how could there be any surplus to bring down to Vinh to sell to you for 100,000 dong/kg?" I thought what he said made sense, but I argued, "It's clearly 'ca mat' fish, how could it be mistaken for 'ca mat'?" He whispered, "I didn't say anything earlier so everyone could enjoy their meal. But if this is 'ca mat' fish, it's probably just... 'ca mat' fish from the Vinh River. I'm saying this to teach you a lesson; that's just a juvenile carp, it looks exactly like 'ca mat' fish!"

I suddenly remembered reading an article the other day: "Will there still be any Giang River catfish left in the future?" Yes, that's true. In Luc Da and Mon Son, upstream of the Giang River, catfish are rare, let alone being sold cheaply in Vinh City...

Nhat Lan