Quan Ho style rice, served in three tiers for guests.

(Baonghean) - After eating, if there is singing during the meal, one is not allowed to drink alcohol. During the meal, guests eat first, and the host sits beside them and sings for them. After the guests finish their meal, the host sits at their own table, and then it is the guest's turn to sit beside them and sing for the host.

Quan Ho (Bac Ninh) cuisine always features "woven trays and wooden bowls," meaning round wooden trays painted red, and bowls carved from eucalyptus wood (later replaced with white glazed porcelain bowls from China). The meal must include two plates of pork sausage and one plate of chicken; other dishes are optional. If there is singing after the meal, no alcohol is allowed. During the meal, guests eat first, and the host sits beside them and sings. After the guests finish their meal, the host sits at their own table, and then the guests sit beside them and sing.

Quan Ho folk singing meal

In the past, the feast served to guests in all the original Quan Ho villages shared a common characteristic: a three-tiered arrangement, all displayed on woven trays or bowls. However, each village had its own unique dishes, with the top tier usually reserved for dishes specific to that village. Only certain dishes, served in large bowls that were difficult to stack, were placed on the lower tier, such as Dao Xa rice porridge or Duong Xa vermicelli soup. In social interactions, politeness and elegance were essential, expressed through honest, down-to-earth language that was also rich in literary and poetic qualities. Therefore, when inviting guests to a meal, each member of the Quan Ho group had to take turns extending the invitation, from the second sister to the sixth sister (or from the second brother to the sixth brother), rather than just a representative inviting them. The invitation to a meal must also be very polite, something like: "...In the new year, in the spring month, the Quan Ho singers (male or female) have not disdained our poor village and come to visit. We have prepared a simple country meal, called a 'woven tray,' with a plate of salt at the head and a plate of pickles at the end. We respectfully invite the Quan Ho singers to raise their bowls and chopsticks and eat heartily so that we may be happy!"

During the spring months, throughout the villages of the Kinh Bac region, at village festivals, each village will surely have its own unique and distinctive dish to entertain distinguished guests from all over.

TB(st)