ROAD...

Sometimes, life opens to us with many roads. Which one you should choose?


A person asked me: "One road is simple, clear. One is difficult to walk on but sweet is much more. So, which road should I choose? "

For a long time, I've thought about that.

Things change. So, I will choose thing that can accept me. Accept my mind. Just it's me. I'm not happy to say that... People can know what they did wrong (maybe not all known but some of them). And if they drift through years, life seems bored and cramped. The world is wide. I don't believe that I can't find what I missed, what I wanted. Just which steps I walk on also makes me happy.'cause this time is living with my dream.
 
Midway City,CA92655
Thu Nhat Anh Nguyen

Bún riêu -Vietnamese food

Though I can eat all types of western food now (except Gorgonzola cheese which contains the fungus), it doesn't mean i forget my Vietnamese food which always makes me so mouth- watering when i randomly check out some Vietnamese food blogs
The dish i proudly present today is called "bún riêu" I remember when i was small i could eat this type of noodle soup day after day but never got bored.
The soup came from Hanoi-the North of Vietnam. It was very simple with tomato and minced crab in spices (*I have no idea how to call it, nowadays, in supermarket, we can find this type of food in cans; though traditionally, people minced the whole small crap in pieces including their shells, then we mix that mixture with a quantity of water, and strain them through a net, or a thick basket just to have the water mixed with tiny tiny pieces of crab meat. AFter that, we cook that water in low heat, little by little, the slightly foam of crap appears on top --> we have a real crap soup). by the way, after a long development, bún riêu has become "richer" with meat stock, pork tails, tofu, chả lụa (a type of bologne/mortadella), ... Some substitute crab with a mixture of minced dried shrimps with beaten eggs, maybe it is more economical and less time-consuming. For serving, just like the other traditional Vietnamese foods, we aways have bún riêu with a large selection of vegetable, a slice of lemon, and one thing very very special: mắm tôm - shrimp paste I know a number of people who cannot stand its smell including my husband, but that's what make bún riêu so special and unforgettable

Because of the limited access to Asian ingredients, it is very difficult for me to manage a bowl of bun riêu in Italy But i made it anyway!

Bún riêu made from dried shrimp, stock, mortadella, tofu, and noodle

Yummy!!!!!
 
Midaway City, CA92655
Written by Thu Nhat Anh Nguyen

Ca Trù the non object cutural heritage of Vietnam

Ca Trù is one of original art performances of Vietnam . Appeared in the early of XVI century, passes by many up and down, rise and fall of history, a few times was thought that couldn’t exist, but with the features of original art, the excellent mix of words , singing voice and musical intrusment like: Phách, đàn đáy, Trống Trầu… Until now, Ca Trù has been affirmed the important position not only of Vietnam in particular, but also of people in general. This folk art is suggested to UNESCO to become a non object cultural heritage of people.


Ca Trù has got many names. Depend on each region, each period of times, Ca Trù was called : “Hát ả đào, hát cô đầu or Hát tơ… Albeit exist in any type of name, Ca Trù is inseparable with “Đào Nương”, female singers.

It’s not easy to be a singer of this music kind, who called “Đào Nương”( partly like Geisha in Japan),it requires many difficult and strict criterions like beautiful voice, musicianship, knowledge about music, the passion and the patience …

Ca Trù was sprung from folk-songs, folk-dancing and some kind of art. Ca Trù at the beginning and in the long time was a collective art which included music, poem, dancing … So the originality of Ca Trù is the varied, delicate, harmonious between poem and music.

Firstly, it served royal and relious rituals and was called Hát Khuôn. Later, it was used in banquets, weddings friendly meetings… and called Hát Hàng Hoa. Under the French domination, Ca Trù declined. Before 1945 revolution, there were many places performed Ca Trù: Khâm Thiên, Bồ Đề, Lộ Khê… And many talented poet like Chu Mạnh Trinh, Nhuyễn Công Trứ, Tú Xương, Tản Đà… composed many excellent tunes for Ca Trù. But then, Ca Trù turned into Cô Đầu, performed by a girl, who is kind of Gheisha. The art of it was forgotten because it was thought by the ruiling class, the singers and the audiences were no more than the hedonists. But nowadays, it is revived and become a original popular art.

So far, Ca Trù is known worldwide. It has been respected and published in terms of records by many international organizations.

The artist who deserved most praise for the world wide spread of Ca Trù is doctor, professor Trần Văn Khê. He has recorded Ca Trù, Quan Họ, Chèo .. songs and sent them to France for the UNESCO to study. As a result, many records of Ca Trù and Quan Họ song has been made.

Now, a Ca Trù club has been established in Hanoi, a place for all Vietnam Ca Trù artists and it also attracts many foreign musicologists from American, English, German and France…

But, I don’t know why, there is the fact that, some people don’t like Ca Trù. Of course they aware very clearly of the importance and the preciousness of it but they still don’t like it and even never listen to it. And I also have no idea that some people ( maybe it’s a huge number) don’t like a kind of music which attracts many foreign people . And me, personally, very hardly hear that kind of art ...

Midway City,CA92655
Written by Thu Nhat Anh Nguyen