(Baonghean.vn) - In recent years, every March - April (lunar calendar), people in Cay Me village (Thach Giam commune - Tuong Duong) gather together to go into the forest to hunt cicadas. The work mainly takes place at night from 7 pm to 1 am. Although the work is hard, it brings a significant income to the Thai people here because dishes made from cicadas are increasingly popular and sought after by many diners.
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| Cicada hunting takes place mainly from 7pm to 1am and is very hard work. To catch cicadas, people have to take a boat across the Lam River and then go into the forest to find them. |
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| According to cicada hunters, cicadas only exist for about a month (from March to April of the lunar calendar) and only on days without a moon are there many cicadas. Cicadas mainly live on sap-producing trees and are very high up, so they are also very difficult to catch. |
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| Ms. La Thi Bon said: "To catch cicadas, you have to use a rock to hit the tree hard so that the cicadas fall down, then use a flashlight to take a picture." |
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| On free nights, many women go up the mountain to hunt cicadas, some nights up to 3 or 4 dozen people. |
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| To catch cicadas, you have to shine a light and take a picture of each one. |
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| There are times when you have to crawl into thorny bushes to catch cicadas which is quite dangerous. |
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| When falling down under the leaves of the forest, the cicada blends in and is very difficult to detect. |
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| Mr. La Van Tu said: "In addition to being quick-handed and quick-eyed, detecting noises and determining where cicadas live is also a necessary experience when hunting cicadas." |
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| By 9 p.m., the number of people flocking to the forest to hunt for cicadas was increasing, mainly women. |
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| Some children also took the opportunity to follow their parents into the forest to hunt for cicadas. |
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| A cicada hiding behind the leaves was caught. |
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| Returning home late at night, everyone took the opportunity to cut cicada wings to sell tomorrow morning. |
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Cicadas after their wings are cut off to prevent them from flying away. Currently, the selling price of cicadas in Cay Me village is 100,000 VND/kg. Some people say that they can hunt several kilos at night, and each season they can earn an additional 3-4 million VND. |
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| Cicadas can be prepared in many ways, but the most popular ones are stir-fried or chopped into spring rolls. When eaten, cicadas are both crispy and have a rich, fatty flavor. |
Dao Tho
