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A customer buy fermented pork rolls at Bon Tao shop. Photo T.H |
Trang, whose house is in Quy Nhon, is in a hurry to prepare gifts for her travel to HCM city, where she is working, on these days. “Remember to leave me 200 special fermented pork rolls,” she told the owner of a fermented pork roll shop. “I’m to leave for Sai Gon tomorrow and I’ll give my colleagues these fermented pork rolls as gifts on the next day.”
Cho Huyen fermented pork roll is one of well-known specialties in Binh Dinh. It has an unforgettable taste. Many natives of southern provinces are addicted to this specialty.
Binh Dinh people who work in HCM City always take hundreds of fermented pork rolls with them to use them as presents for their friends living there after returning home during Tet (lunar New Year) holiday.
We have had to make scores of fermented pork rolls and grilled fish cakes since Jan. 29 because there was an ever-increasing demand for these specialties after Tet, some shop owners said.
At present, a fermented pork roll has the price of 2,000 VND, a rise of 500 VND against pre-Tet period, due to the increase of pork price and shortage of laborers.
Huong and her husband who are living in Phu My District went to Quy Nhon to buy 200 fermented pork rolls and get on a train to leave for HCM City on the same day.
“I’ve worked at Big C supermarket for ten years,” she said. “As usual, I always buy fermented pork rolls for my colleagues as gifts after the Tet holiday. All like it for its taste is different from the taste of pork roll in the south.”
We had to double the amount of meat to make fermented pork rolls after Tet but this still couldn’t meet the demand, said Lap, owner of Bon Tao shop. “Only after the 15th day of the first lunar month, the making of pork rolls becomes usual,” he added.
Other specialties, such as dried cuttlefish, grilled fish cakes, and Bau Da wine, also attract those who are going to travel away.
29-year-old Hung, working at a HCM City-based computer company, said he always bought dried cuttlefish, Cho Huyen fermented pork rolls, and Bau Da wine to enjoy with his friends in HCM City each year.
Nguyen Thi Ngoc, owner of Ngoc Huong Bau Da private company, said an Australian man phoned her to know more about Bau Da wine on the 2nd day of Tet because he was going to order a large number of wine for some restaurants in Australia.
Also, an overseas Vietnamese in England bought 90 bottles of Bau Da wine as gifts for his partners on the 6th day of the first lunar month, she said.
However, many specialty shop owners also complained about the drop in profits because the amount of goods couldn’t be sold as best as previous year.
Tu and his wife whose job is to make grilled fish cakes explained that many who work away from home had no money to return to Quy Nhon or hadn’t enough money to buy specialties as gifts perhaps because they faced economic difficulties.
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