What’s cooking? A lot of things,
actually
A catering
trend is blowing new winds across Điện Thọ Commune in Quảng Nam Province,
empowering women, creating off-farm jobs and spreading prosperity. Thiên
Thanh has the story.
On weekends,
long before the onset of dawn, things start buzzing in Châu Lâu Hamlet.
In fact, it
gets busier – and noisier – than a beehive. Courtyards echo with the sounds
of people calling out various things from the kitchen. Then there’s the thump
of big knives pounding on big chopping boards, the clanging of pans, the
sound of water running…
But the
strongest evidence of a feast, or several feasts, in the making is the aroma
of shrimps being stir fried that float into the small streets. And along
these winding streets, mini-vans soon get loaded with food trays.
“We can only
have a simple meal of vegetables, either boiled or stir-fried, with rice to
keep us going,” said Trần Thị Thu Hà, a local catering business owner.
“My favourite
food is boiled vegetables with pickled cucumber dipped in anchovy paste,” she
said, adding, “I cook and smell the food too much. Now I don’t like meat or
seafood. I only crave vegetables.”
Hà sometimes
takes as many as 10 catering orders a day. “Now we need to get food ready,
when the minivans are back, the food must be ready to go, too. We cater to
parties in Đà Nẵng City and we must get there on time.
“During the
weekends and on festive days, our days start at 2am and run till 5pm.”
Hà says she
has 10 close employees and when orders come rushing in, she has to hire up to
40 or even 50 people.
“The biggest
party I’ve served is 200 tables,” she said, meaning serving a wedding feast
for 2,000 people. And these are seven-course meals!
Hà has been
in this business for six to seven years. She’s gotten so busy she can’t take
time off.
As soon as
Hà and the women sip some tea to complete their meal, they head out to work.
There’s plenty to do: picking and cleaning vegetables, chopping meat and
ribs, slaughtering chicken.
Hà is soon
glued to her mobile phone, taking or checking orders. Her iPad is full of
food presentation photos. She is constantly looking to improve her service.
Hands on
We went to
neighbouring La Trung Hamlet, which is also in a high bee-hive mode. Seeing
off a line of motorbikes catering to smaller parties, Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Ánh
returned to her huge kitchen, now empty because everything had gone.
She has been
overworked. Her sleep-deprived eyes check out chickens being boiled in whole
in a big pot. “Today we cater to eight parties. The closest one is a wedding
in the neighbouring village. Thirty-five tables of ten.”
A mâm,
or table, is a full seven-course meal with starters like salads, main
courses, soups and vegetables, and deserts, for 10 people.
“Everyone
has gone to the parties. I was here before the rooster began to crow. And I
will be here until the last dishes of food is out at 4pm,” Ánh said. Next to
where she’s standing is a booking calendar that shows 12 catering orders for
the day.
Though she
has people helping in the kitchen, Ánh maintains her job of marinating and
being the principal chef in her kitchen.
“I get
orders for the good food that I make with my own hands. I can’t make an
excuse that I’ve got too many orders and pass the job to someone else. That’s
not good. I want to keep my good reputation.
“Each day, I
only accept orders for a little more than 1,000 people to ensure my good
quality.”
When the
orders rush in, not only are the chefs overworked, other villagers get their
share of work, too. Nguyễn Thị Tuyết, who helps out every time a kitchen
calls, said: “Sometimes three or four people call in one day, so I have to
serve the one who called first. There’s so much work to do. The only concern
is if you can manage it.”
Military precision
In this
business, the chef who directs her kitchen also needs to work in sync with
what’s happening in the wedding hall.
When the
master of ceremonies begins proceedings in the big hall, Lê Thị Mai of La
Trung Hamlet, de facto chef in the kitchen, snaps
out her order: “Start!” It is only then that the food will be taken to
the plate.
Everything
has to be very well organised so that the food trays are taken to the dining
room in order.
“Hot dishes
must be warmed up and served right then,” Mai said.
As the MC
said “Thank you”, Mai called out: “Ready! Dishes, go!” Her team of 10
waiters, all decked out in smart uniforms, held the dishes up to their
shoulders, and walked in harmony with the music, gently placing the trays on
the tables.
“In the
past, we used to get all the food ready on the table,” Mai said.
“But
just seeing too much food at one time, people felt full and did not find it
delicious.”
“People need
time to taste the food, so each course is served in an order. We wait for at
least 10 minutes after the starter to serve the main course. We serve the
fried dishes with accompanying soups. And we serve fruit for desert,” she
said.
Ánh, who
still keeps the actual cooking job to herself, said: “Catering to parties is
like getting married to a big family. You can’t say no to clients who come to
you, but do not have so much to spend.”
The norm in
the village has been to charge between VNĐ70,000 to 100,000 per person.
“If the
client cannot afford higher rates, then we try our best to serve them at
between VNĐ70,000 and VNĐ80,000 per person.
“We
have to treat each and every client of ours the same way. Even if they cannot
pay more, we still show them that we care so that they are impressed and
satisfied. Only then can we survive in our business,” Ánh said.
Fabulous Four
Until a
decade or so ago, whenever food for wedding parties, birthdays and death
anniversaries was talked about, everyone turned to the Fabulous Four: Tằm,
Dung, Hoa and Nữ. These women are seen as the “founding goddesses” of the
catering service in the village.
Then, all
the women in the village followed the Fabulous Four to help with cooking and
serving for big parties. They didn’t mind being called to only clean
vegetables or peel garlic, or wash dishes.
Some of the
women learnt the work and started to cook and cater for their family parties.
And when guests began appreciating the food and service, the women started
accepting bigger orders.
Ngọc Ánh of
La Trung is one of them.
“I helped
out for a few years. Then I thought, ‘Oh, I can make all the dishes, why not
try on my own?’ she said.
“The first
party I cooked for was for my cousin,” Ánh recalled.
“Guests
coming here from Đà Nẵng praised me to the sky. Then they asked me to come to
Đà Nẵng and cook. That was it.”
Ánh said she
printed name cards to give out at parties, and now she has more orders from
Đà Nẵng than from neighbouring villages.
“At first, I
only wanted to do weddings. Now, I take any order: house-warming, birthday,
special events and death anniversaries.”
Win win
In the
catering hamlets, some women have signed up for food safety classes or
cooking classes, and have begun surfing the Internet to learn new dishes and
expand their menus.
According to
Võ Thị Tình, chairwoman of the Điện Thọ Commune Women’s Union, there are 200
catering households in the commune, mostly in the Đông Hòa, La Trung and Châu
Lâu hamlets.
To encourage
the catering trend, the local Women’s Union chapter proposed that the Quảng
Nam Department of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs opens cooking and
food safety classes.
“We have
given out 100 cooking certificates (since 2013),” Tình said. This has created
more income-earning opportunities for the women of the district.
Almost all
women have left farm work to their husbands and children, and gotten involved
in the catering business.
“Everyday if
I help out in the kitchen, I get paid VNĐ200,000 ($9),” said Nguyễn Thị Xí, a
long-time farmer from Đông Hòa. If I work hard and come early to work in
placing tables, I get VNĐ350,000 ($15). Those who can cook get paid more than
VNĐ400,000 ($18) a day. Every month, we work for 20 days and we get bonuses
too.”
The catering
trend has turned a new page for the villagers of Điện Thọ. The business
owners have minivans and new villas. The supporting services have spread the
prosperity. Those who can’t cook supply fresh food and seafood, they rent out
tables and make-shift wedding halls or music equipment.
In Điện Thọ,
it’s hard to find a rundown looking old house. They are all new and clean.
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Chủ Nhật, 11 tháng 12, 2016
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