Meat stamp counter: 'Meeting point' of Quang Trung apartment building

(Baonghean.vn) - Until now, the address of room 1, building A3 is still a place that holds many memories for "us, the storey house group". Simply, that place was the food store of the entire Quang Trung area - where we, the kids, would line up from midnight, the meeting place for the young boys and girls of the storey house group at that time.

In the late 70s of the last century, when there were more than 1,000 households living in the multi-storey building area, the People's Council of Quang Trung ward proposed that the city establish a food store here.

Not long after that, the first food store was set up in room number 1 and 3 of building A3, right next to the Slide Court. We - the first children of the "storey house" to taste the mooncakes for 2 cents each, each time lining up we could buy no more than 5 cakes.

Grocery store in the afternoon light. Photo: Thanh Cuong.

During the subsidy period, this food store sold all kinds of things, such as salt, fish sauce, water spinach, fish, meat, etc. Each household in the multi-storey house was given a Purchase Book, and each sale was recorded to prevent fraud. Water spinach was sold by weight, and each household was not allowed to buy more than 2 kg per day. It was so much fun.

Water spinach is imported from Vinh Tan fields, transported to the store by three-wheeled vehicles, only 2 vehicles per day. The vegetables do not arrive until around noon, but we had to get up and line up at 5am.

This place sells everything, but perhaps the most memorable experience was queuing up to buy pork, so we called it “A3 meat store”. Queuing up to buy meat was both “torture” and a pleasure for the children of Quang Trung at that time.

Usually, at 3-4 am, people would start lining up. Sometimes, the store would run out of meat for a long time, and when they heard that the meat would arrive tomorrow, they would wake up at midnight. Whoever lined up first would usually get the freshest and most delicious piece of meat, while those who lined up later might not necessarily get a portion, and they would have to accept the leftovers, so every day there would be arguments and even fights.

Hair salon in Quang Trung building. Photo: Thanh Cuong.

In those days, families with war invalids and martyrs’ cards were given priority. At first, we had to sit in line, but it took too long, partly because our legs were sore, partly because we were bitten by mosquitoes, so instead of lining up, people used baskets, trays, and then stones. The queuing area was dark, and it took a lot of petitioning before they installed an electric pole. When there was light, the old men set up a chess board, the teachers took out newspapers to read, and we kids played marbles and Chinese checkers together.

Usually at the beginning of the hour, the fat saleswoman will come to open the door, everyone will compete to ask:

- Much meat?

- Do you have fat? Do you have heart and kidney?

- How many kilos can each person buy?

- Remember to leave me the pig's leg to cook porridge for my sick mother.

When the three-wheeled vehicle sputtered as it approached the store, everyone was in an uproar, all activities stopped, everyone hurriedly stood in line. The sounds of fighting for seats, the sounds of shouting… resounded throughout the corner of building A3. The children quickly ran home shouting:

- Mom, the meat is back…the meat is back!

The women put on their sandals, quickly grabbed the stack of stamps, and shouted as they walked:

- Folks, the meat is here, the meat is here...

Every time like that, the store in my neighborhood was given three or four pigs. There were heads, intestines, pig feet… but what people liked most was to buy some fat. The fat was skimmed off, fried, cooled, and put into glass jars to stir-fry and cook vegetables for later consumption. After frying the fat, there were a few pieces of meat left, which families often braised with salt to celebrate big events of the month, usually fathers and mothers would use chopsticks to give to their children.

Occasionally, especially during Tet, the shop sells freshwater fish from Ke Go Lake or sea fish. Grass carp weighing tens of kilos, often with their brains removed, are brought back to be sold instead of pork; on lucky days, the shop also sells beef.

The grocery store is also a dating place for married men and women. When queuing up to buy meat, you have time to talk, do housework without being monitored, it is truly a double job. I also have a guy who is not a "high-rise resident", but whenever he knows I am queuing, he follows me around. The trivial stories at the A3 meat store later followed him throughout his years studying abroad. If in the West, he heard that the A3 house was demolished, he would be sadder than anyone else because that meat store was the meeting place for the two of us once. I miss you so much, A3!

Phan Hao