Strange habit of eating rice with water of Mong people in Nghe An

(Baonghean.vn) - For a long time, in the meals of the Mong people of Nghe An, there has always been a "special" dish: a bowl of plain water. This comes from a deep-rooted cause in the tradition of this ethnic community.

Going to the Mong villages in Ky Son, Tuong Duong, Que Phong, it is not difficult to see a bowl of water in their daily meals. At first, we all thought that the bowl of water was only used for drinking, like "rice is too hard to swallow, so drink" or the family was too poor to have food so they used water to make soup. But we were surprised when we saw that in that meal, there was enough meat, fish, and vegetable soup, but the Mong people still used water.

The bowl of water is scooped directly from the tank and placed right on the rice tray. Each person has a spoon to scoop both rice and food. Every few bites of rice and food, they scoop a spoonful of water along with it like people use soup. It is simple but the Mong people eat very deliciously and very "into the rice". "You have to eat like that to have enough strength to climb the forest and go to the fields" - a Mong boy looked at us and laughed.

In the daily meals of the Mong people in Nghe An, there is a "special" dish: water.

Village elder Vu Giong Denh in Huoi Giang 3 village (Tay Son commune - Ky Son) told us that in a Mong meal, even if there is enough meat and fish, there must be a bowl of water. This has become a custom of the Mong people.

The story goes that, long ago, there was an old and sick Mong couple. Although the family tried all kinds of medicine and invited a shaman to perform a ritual to drive away the disease ghost, they still did not get better.

When they knew they were about to die, the grandparents called their children and grandchildren and told them: Mom and Dad were afraid they wouldn't make it, before closing their eyes to return to "Tua So", they only wanted to eat rice mixed with water to have a peaceful and clean soul. Immediately, they brought 2 bowls of rice mixed with clean water drawn from the upstream stream for them to eat. After eating, the two felt relieved and a moment later, both were healthy again as if they had never been sick. The children and grandchildren were all happy and excited. Since then, every Mong meal has a bowl of water.

Water is an indispensable "dish" on the dinner table.

According to Vu Giong Denh, when the Mong people can no longer eat rice with water, that is when they no longer have the strength to live. However, besides that story, there is also a reason related to the hard, hard life of this community. In the past, their life was still difficult, living all year round on high mountain peaks with many wild animals, so finding food was very difficult. In the morning, they went to work before the chickens crowed, and in the evening, when they came back, the chickens were already in the coop. Therefore, to save money and take advantage of time, the Mong people ate rice with water for convenience. They got used to it more and more, and until now, they still have not given up that habit. But now, to ensure hygiene, many people have abandoned the water and used boiled water to cool down to eat with rice.

The meal of poor Mong students is just a pot of rice with a can of water placed right next to it.

Thus, it can be seen that, along with other dishes, eating rice with water has become a cultural feature in the cuisine of the Mong people of Nghe An./.

Dao Tho