Ho Sy Duong Street: "Eel porridge street"

(Baonghean) - Today I had a breakfast appointment with a friend from Hanoi. When she called to ask for the restaurant's address, I innocently replied:

- Tell the taxi to take you to the eel porridge on TV!

- Eel porridge on TV, what a strange name? But what is the street name?

- What is the street name? I suddenly hesitated, thinking and thinking but could not remember the name of the street I had been to countless times. With no other choice, I had to tell my friend to just read the address to the taxi “TV eel porridge”, along with the promise that the driver would automatically know the destination.

A stretch of "eel porridge street" on Ho Sy Duong street

Sure enough, at exactly 7:30, when I crept to the familiar eel porridge stall, I saw my friend standing right in front of the small street next to the provincial post office, which has long been the porridge “paradise” of the city. Only then did I look up at the street name board and exclaimed: “So this street is Ho Sy Duong Street”. My friend smiled and teased me, “Every day I see you bragging about going to eat eel porridge, but how come you can’t even remember the street name?”. I could only scratch my head and laugh, not knowing how to explain my absent-mindedness or carelessness.

A row of eel porridge.

In fact, Vinh people who come here to eat eel porridge probably don’t pay much attention to the street name, but all call it by the familiar name “TV eel porridge” or “post office eel porridge”. The reason it’s called “post office eel porridge” is because this street is located right next to the provincial post office. And why is it called “TV eel porridge”? I once asked this to the owner of the porridge shop I often go to and received the answer:

- I don't know either. Maybe in the past when the city was still sparsely populated and had no high-rise buildings like today, the television tower was one of the city's most prominent structures, so they called this area "television". And the guys and girls who worked at the television station often came here for breakfast or a late-night snack. Maybe the name "TV eel porridge" came from that habit of theirs?

Another reason why "eel porridge street" is called "TV porridge" is that Vinh Television Station (Regional Station) used to be located right on this street. This area is also the permanent residence of most of the cadres, reporters, and employees of Nghe An Radio and Television Station.

The stories of the ladies selling porridge in this alley are always so simple and rustic. But somehow, every time I stop by the shop, sit and slowly eat spoonfuls of steaming hot porridge, listen to stories and sip a few sips of bitter tea, I suddenly find that the ordinary morning becomes strangely poetic. But it is not the kind of poetic that soars far away to some rosy sky, but rather the way of looking at and feeling the life around me more gently, warmly and tolerantly. It is the story of a boy who rides his bicycle every morning, dangling a lunch box to the shop to buy porridge for his grandfather to eat for breakfast. This has been going on regularly for several years, but then one day the shop suddenly loses its familiar chirping and mischievous laughter. After a week, the “lunch box” boy reappears, his face sad as he tells the whole shop about his grandfather going to the South to visit his youngest uncle’s family, and that he will not be back for more than a month. Sometimes the story of the day is just a conversation between a mother and her elementary school daughter:

- Eat up so you can go to school. Do you need me to feed you?

- No no, Mom let Bim eat by himself. Bim is in second grade, Bim is big now. Only first graders let their mom feed them.

Having said that, the little girl puffed her cheeks, blew on the porridge, and fed herself with determination. The shop owner understood and praised her: “You’re already in second grade, you’re so good at feeding yourself!” Encouraged by her mother and everyone in the shop, the little girl smiled widely, and in just a moment, the bowl of porridge was gone.

There, just everyday stories in life, not some distant fairy tale, but it gives people a very sweet, very real taste. I don't know if that's why the eel porridge here is very popular with restaurants in the city, although eel porridge restaurants in Vinh are springing up one after another with the brand "Nghe eel porridge" becoming more and more widely known, even to diners from other provinces. My friend from the North today tasted this Nghe specialty for the first time, and while eating, she kept praising it as delicious. Her face turned red from the heat of the porridge, and also the spicy, warm taste of the eel, she explained:

- Actually, I have eaten eel porridge before, but the eel in the North is dried eel, chewy and crunchy, not soft and firm like this. This is also the first time I have seen the real shape of an eel. It looks a bit disgusting, but when you eat it, you will find it delicious. The weather is cool in autumn, with a little drizzle, eating like this is the right way!

The owner of the restaurant is generous, seeing a passerby praising the delicious food, she happily joined in the conversation: "This Northerner can eat spicy food like this, it's rare. Next time you come by, if you like it less spicy, more spicy, more eel, less eel, just say so, we can satisfy whatever the customer wants." Having said that, she confided that this porridge restaurant, although small, is the main "rice pot" of the whole family for several generations. In the past, there was only one porridge restaurant in this alley, but then, not knowing whether it was because of the fate of this alley or because of the generous, hospitable nature of the restaurant owner and because the eel tasted very delicious, very real, customers came in droves. The owner's family became well-off thanks to that, then passed on to their children to diligently work every day beside the hot porridge pot, also keeping the fire of prosperity, enough for the whole family. Gradually, other restaurants sprung up, standing side by side in this small alley. But when coming here, there is no atmosphere of fierce competition between the shops, everyone does their own thing, peaceful, close like neighbors relying on each other. Even the customers who come to eat at the porridge shops seem to "catch" the peaceful, gentle atmosphere, and even though the shops are open until late at night, early in the morning, there has never been any quarrel or fight here.

If in the past, porridge stalls selling early in the morning and late at night like this usually served the working class, for whom time spent on eating and sleeping was almost a luxury, even a waste, now the customers coming to eat at the stalls are increasingly diverse. There are workers and civil servants whose neatness is clearly shown on their gentle faces, on their clean and carefully ironed white shirt collars. There are also students calling each other to eat some hot porridge after stressful classes. There are also old people bringing their young grandchildren, who always order a bowl of porridge without onions and less spicy, then sit and watch their grandchildren eat deliciously, their old faces glowing with nameless happiness.

To serve the increasingly diverse needs of diners, the shops here not only sell eel porridge and chicken porridge but also add other attractive dishes such as eel soup, fish soup, chicken stew, chicken salad, wet rice cake, spring rolls, etc. Ho Sy Duong Street has become a culinary "paradise" at night and in the morning without anyone knowing, but the name "post office eel porridge" or "TV eel porridge" has been familiar to the people of Vinh City for a long time. Although coming here sometimes is not to eat eel porridge, but because of the habit, people all invite each other to go to "TV eel porridge", and saying so is to understand each other without needing any further instructions or annotations. As a trustworthy address, because of the habit, because of the warmth not only in the senses when enjoying a delicious dish but also in the soul every early morning or late at night, looking back and reflecting on life and people.

Article and photos:Hai Trieu