Crawfish tail/tale

[ianbui@ix.netcom.com (nghia bui)]

Ba'c Vinh ho?i con crawfish la` loa.i ca' chi#. Xin thu*a:
no' la` mo^.t loa`i ca' kho^ng bie^'t bo*i, chi? bie^'t bo`
(crawl). No' co`n ddu*o*.c go.i la` crayfish (nhu* ba'c Tua^'n
co' ke^? qua). No' kho^ng co' va^?y nhu*ng la.i co' ca`ng va`
so^'ng tre^n ca.n, ga^`n nhu*~ng vu`ng nhie^`u ra.ch mu*o*ng
hay swamps kie^?u U Minh hay Ddo^`ng Tha'p Mu*o*`i o*? VN#. 
Hi`nh da.ng no' tu*`a tu*.a con to^m ti'ch cu?a ta, to trung 
bi`nh khoa?ng ba<`ng hai ngo'n tay ca'i cu?a ngu*o*`i lo*'n.

O*? My~ crawfish la` dda<.c sa?n cu?a mie^`n Louisiana va`
Florida. Ca? hai no*i na`y dde^`u co' nhie^`u dda^`m, khi' 
ha^.u a^'m va` a^?m, la` ddie^`u kie^.n ca^`n cho ca'c ba'c
crawfish sinh so^i na?y no*?. Tho*`i nay ngu*o*`i ta co' ca? 
crawfish farm dde^? mass-produce crawfish, nhu*ng ne^'u co' 
ddie^`u kie^.n ddi dda<.t vo' la^'y va^~n thi'ch ho*n nhie^`u. 
(VN co' le~ nuo^i ddu*o*.c gio^'ng na`y de^~ da`ng.)

Mie^`n Nam Louisiana la` no*i co' ne^`n va<n ho'a nu*?a Ta^y 
(Canadien) nu*?a Da Ddo? ra^'t ddo^.c dda'o, go.i la` Cajun 
(canadien-indian). Da^n Cajun va^~n co`n no'i tie^'ng Pha'p, 
nhu*ng theo mo^.t gio.ng ra^'t la. tai va` cha<?ng gio^'ng 
tie^'ng Pha'p tha^.t chu't nao`. Ho. cu~ng no'i tie^'ng Anh,
nhu*ng tie^'ng Anh cu?a ho. cu~ng co' accent dda<.c bie^.t
va` cu~ng cha<?ng gio^'ng ai luo^n!

To^i co' so^'ng va`i na<m o*? tha`nh pho^' Lafayette, na<`m
ngay trong lo`ng que^ hu*o*ng Cajun, ne^n cu~ng bie^'t va`i
ne't ve^` da^n xu*' na`y. No^?i tie^'ng kha<'p nu*o*'c My~ 
ba^y gio*` la` ca'c mo'n a<n na^'u theo gu Cajun -- gumbo,
blackened fish, boudin, v.v. Ddo^` a<n Cajun thu*o*`ng cay 
va` co' nhie^`u gia vi. la. (o*'t Tabasco cu~ng la` tu*` 
vu`ng na`y ma` ra). Nha.c Cajun la` mo^.t loa.i nha.c tuy 
go^'c la` bluegrass nhu*ng la.i mang nhu*~ng ne't ddo^.c
dda'o rie^ng, kho^ng the^? na`o la^`m la^~n vo*'i ca'c the^? 
nha.c kha'c. (Nhu*ng nghe nhie^`u cu~ng "me^.t" la<'m :))

Ca'ch na^'u crawfish ngon nha^'t (va` no^?i tie^'ng nha^'t) la` 
luo^.c theo kie^?u Cajun, trong ddo' co' bo? vo^ so^' gia vi. 
cho cay va` dda^.m. No^`i nu*o*'c luo^.c thu*o*`ng co' bo? the^m 
vai` khu'c ba<'p hay khoai ta^y dde^? a<n "ddo^.n" ne^'u thi'ch 
ddo^?i mo'n, hay ru?i khi a<n crawfish xong... va^~n co`n ddo'i :))  

Ca'ch a<n crawfish tu*o*ng ddo^'i kha' ddo*n gia?n, nhu*ng ddo`i hoi? 
ngu*o*`i a<n phai? "xa<n tay ao'" la<n xa? vao` chie^'n tru*o*`ng 
thi` mo*'i ddu'ng ddie^.u va` tuye^.t khoa'i.

Ba<'c no^`i nu*o*'c leo` cho thie^.t to, bo? crawfish va`o tu*` tu*`,
chi'n to*'i dda^u vo*'t ra a<n to*'i ddo'. Cu*' vu*a` a<n vu*`a
luo^.c nhu* va^.y to*'i khi nao` he^'t crawfish (hay he^'t bia)
thi` tho^i#. Ngu*o*`i a<n crawfish phai? bo'c vo? la^'y va` chi? a<n 
pha^`n dduo^i, co`n dda^`u crawfish thu*o*`ng hay co' ga.ch -- mu't 
ra^'t ngon nhu*ng a<n nhie^`u de^~ bi. na<.ng bu.ng. (Thu*o*`ng thi`
ngu*o*`i ta hay dde^? da`nh dda^`u crawfish dde^? na^'u gumbo, kie^u?
nhu* ngu*o*`i mi`nh na^'u bu'n rie^u vo*'i ga.ch cua va^.y.) Crawfish 
ma` luo^.c theo kie^?u Cajun, cha^'m muo^'i tie^u chanh a<n thi` he^'t 
cho^~ che^#. 

Ho^m tua^`n tru*o*'c ve^` Louisiana cho*i to^i ddu*o*.c nha^.u mo^.t
bu*~a oyster va` crawfish dda~ ddo*`i, dda<.c bie^.t dda^y la` la^`n 
dda^`u tie^n ddu*o*.c a<n crawfish rang theo kie^?u Tau` (co' ha`nh 
tie^u to?i mo*~ ddu? bo^.) cu~ng ngon mie^.ng la<'m, nhu*ng ho*i 
nhie^`u da^`u va` theo to^i va^~n kho^ng ba<`ng luo^.c theo kie^?u 
ma^'y ba'c Cajun.

No'i to*'i oyster su*.c nho*', ba'c AiViet du`ng chu*~ "che'n oyster"
dde^? die^~n ta? mo'n na`y qua? la` tu*o*.ng hi`nh vo^ cu`ng. Khi a<n 
oyster so^'ng ta phai? du`ng nu*?a ca'i vo? du*o*'i cu?a con oyster 
nhu* ca'i che'n, bo? ti' chanh muo^'i tie^u va`o ca'i che'n ti' hon 
a^'y, the^m ti' horseradish hay mustard (loa.i xanh cu?a Nha^.t la` 
ngon nha^'t) cu`ng vai` gio.t tabasco vao` xong ddu*a le^n mie^.ng hu'p 
nguye^n con oyster mo^.t ca'i "RO^.T" thi` ke^? nhu* ddu? ddie^?m. 
Nhu*~ng ngu*o*`i "nhe. da." thi` co' the^? nu*o*'ng oyster tru*o*'c. 
A<n kie^?u ddo' cu~ng ngon, nhu*ng pha?i co' nu*o*'c ma<'m chanh dde^? 
cha^'m, kie^?u nhu* a<n o^'c hay so` huye^'t thi` mo*'i dda~.

Tho^i, ta? so* so* cho ca'c ba'c nho? nu*o*'c mie^'ng cho*i ba^'y 
nhie^u cha<'c cu~ng ddu? ro^`i, to^i pha?i ddi kie^'m ti' bia dda^y.
Tru*o*'c khi du*`ng bu't xin ddo^' ca'c ba'c va^.y chu*' shellfish 
la` cai' gio^'ng chi#?

Happy drooling :))

Ian