A^?m thu+.c: Ca' Linh

[Tuan V Nguyen <t.nguyen@garvan.unsw.edu.au>]

Cha`o ca'c ba'c (trai va` ga'i),

	La` ngu+o+`i co' ta^m ho^`n thu+.c pha^?m, ne^n sau khi 
ddo.c xong ba`i cu?a ba'c Bu`i Nghia~ (Ian Bui) ve^` mo'n a(n 
ca' crawfish hay crayfish (ba^y gio+` to^'i mo+'i bie^'t no' 
la` mo^.t!) la`m to^i muo^'n cha?y nu+o+'c mie^'ng ... Ro^`i 
anh AiViet dde^` nghi. ta ne^n ba`n ve^` a^?m thu+.c VN. To^i 
xin volunteer no'i va`i ddie^`u ve^` ca' linh cho ca'c ba'c 
nghe va` ... the`m.

	Ma^'y ba'c o+? ngoa`i mie^`n Ba('c hay mie^`n Trung 
thi` cha('c kho^ng hay chu+a bie^'t ca' linh la` gi` , chu+' 
ddo^'i vo+'i ngu+o+`i mie^`n Nam, ma` dda(.c bie^.t la` 
ngu+o+`i vu`ng ven so^ng Tie^`n va` ddo^`ng ba(`ng so^ng 
Cu+~u Long thi` la`m quen vo+'i ca' linh ha^`u nhu+ ha`ng 
nga`y. Na`o la` nu+o+'c ma('m ca' linh, ma('m kho ca' linh, 
ma('m chu+ng ca' linh ... Du` kho^ng ddo^.c dda'o ba(`ng 
ma('m ca' tre`n Cha^u DDo^'c, nhu+ng ca' linh va` ma('m ca' 
linh kho^ng he^` va('ng ma(.t tre^n ma^m co+m cho^'n que^ 
nghe`o Nam bo^.\.

	Ha`ng na(m, tu+` tha'ng na(m a^m li.ch tro+? ddi, 
nu+o+'c so^ng Tie^`n ba('t dda^`u "quay", hie^.n le^n mo^.t 
ma`u ddu.c nga^`u, trong ddo' co' con ca' linh vu+`a mo+'i 
no+? nho? li ti, ro+`i Bie^?n Ho^` be^n Mie^n tro^i theo 
do`ng nu+o+'c. Xuo^'ng dde^'n so^ng Tie^`n, so^ng Ha^.u va`o 
tha'ng sa'u, tha'ng ba?y, sa(~n nu+o+'c da^ng cao, chu'ng 
theo nu+o+'c va`o ke^nh ra.ch, ro^`i ruo^.ng ddo^`ng, mu+o+ng 
vu+o+`n, chu'ng lo+'n le^n ba(`ng ngo'n tay. DDe^'n tha'ng 
mu+o+`i a^m li.ch , theo nu+o+'c xuo^'ng, ca' linh ru't ddi 
kho?i ruo^.ng ddo^`ng, kinh ra.ch ddo^? ra so^ng lo+'n dde^? 
ngu+o+.c nu+o+'c tro+? ve^` que^ cha dda^'t to^? o+? Bie^?n 
Ho^`. Va`o lu'c a^'y, ca' linh ra xanh ca? nu+o+'c, go.i la` 
"ddua" hay ca' linh "le^n". DDa(.c bie^.t ddu'ng va`o nga`y 
mu`ng 10 tha'ng 10 a^m li.ch la` ca' linh ba('t dda^`u le^n, 
go.i la` ca' "le^n bo+` ra`o", dde^'n lu'c ca' vu+o+.t 
nu+o+'c ro^. le^n go.i la` ca' "le^n ddo^ng ken". Nga`y xu+a, 
va`o tho+`i ddie^?m na`y ca'c mie^.ng dda'y pha?i canh 
chu+`ng dde^? cho ca' va`o cu+?a pha?i, ne^'u kho^ng se~ 
thu?ng dda'y; co`n ddi cha`i, co' khi pha?i ra?i mo^.t cha`i 
ddu+o+.c ca? gia. ca' , kho^ng the^? na`o ke'o le^n xuo^'ng 
no^?i, pha?i xa? cha`i cho ca' ra bo+'t !

	Ro^`i tu+` tha'ng 10 hoa(.c ra(`m tha'ng sa'u a^m li.ch 
tro+? ddi la` tre^n ma^m co+m "da^n da~" dda~ xua^'t hie^.n 
nhie^`u mo'n a(n vo+'i ca' linh non to ba(`ng dda^`u ddu?a: 
ca' linh kho sa? , ca' linh na^'u chua , ca' linh kho ma('m 
... "ho+.p ddo^`ng" vo+'i va`i thu+' rau ta.i cho^~ nhu+ 
bo^ng su'ng, ke`o ne`o, chuo^'i cha't ... du` kho^ng pha?i 
la` so+n ha`o ha?i vi. , nhu+ng cu~ng la`m cho bu+~a a(n 
to^'n the^m nhie^`u co+m va` vo+i ddi va`i xi. dde^' !

	Ha^`u he^'t ca'c gia ddi`nh no^ng da^n Nam bo^. i't 
du`ng nu+o+'c ma('m bie^?n mua o+? cho+., ma` thu+o+`ng tu+. 
la`m nu+o+'c ma('m dde^? du`ng. Ca' gi` cu~ng ddu+o+.c, 
nhu+ng thu+o+`ng la` ca' linh. Cu+' hai gia. ca', khoa?ng 
mo^.t gia. muo^'i, 3 kg ddu+o+`ng se~ ddu+o+.c ga^`n 40 li't 
nu+o+'c ma('m ngon, bo^? kho^ng thua gi` nu+o+'c ma('m Phu' 
Quo^'c.  

	Ca' linh co`n co' the^? la`m ma('m. Ca' la`m sa.ch, cho 
va`o hu~ u+o+'p muo^'i, ba nga`y sau du`ng vi? tre ga`i 
cha(.t xuo^'ng. Mo^.t tha'ng sau, vo+'t ra tro^.n thi'nh va`o 
ro^`i cho va`o hu~ ga`i cha(.t nhu+ tru+o+'c. Mo^.t tha'ng 
sau, la.i vo+'t ra cho ddu+o+`ng va`o , ro^`i ddo^? va`o hu~ 
ga`i cha(.t la.i. The^m mo^.t tha'ng nu+~a la` ma('m co' 
the^? du`ng ddu+o+.c.

	Xong ro^`i, co' the^? la`m mo'n ma('m chu+ng ddo+n 
gia?n: dda(.t ma('m va`o di~a cho the^m mo^.t i't tie^u, 
ha`nh, mo+~ ... dde^? va`o no^`i co+m vu+`a ca.n nu+o+'c. 
Mu+o+`i phu't sau, co+m chi'n, ma('m chu+ng cu~ng chi'n, 
bo^'c mu`i tie^u ha`nh tho+m phu+'c . The^m mo^.t mo+' du+a 
ca`, rau so^'ng, o+'t vv co' sa(~n trong vu+o+`n la` co' 
mo^.t bu+~a a(n ngon mie^.ng. Nhie^`u lu'c ba^.n vu. mu`a 
kho^ng ra?nh dde^? ba('t ca' a(n, no^ng da^n mang co+m theo 
vo+'i ma('m so^'ng a(n ta.i ca'nh ddo^`ng cu`ng gu+`ng non, 
du+a, ca` ... lu'c ddo'i, "la`m" cu~ng to+'i na(m ba?y che'n 
co+m nhu+ kho^ng!

	La.i no'i dde^'n mo'n ma('m kho. Ca' linh kho vo+'i i't 
ca' te'p, thi.t ba ro.i tha'i mo?ng va` ca` ti'm. A(n ma('m 
kho ma` thie^'u rau so^'ng thi` bu+~a co+m gia?m ddi na(m 
chu.c pha^`n tra(m cha^'t lu+o+.ng . Kho^ng pha?i ca^`u ky` 
la('m, mo^~i thu+' mo^.t i't: rau dda('ng, rau du+`a, bo^ng 
su'ng, ca?i xanh, tai tu+o+.ng ... Cho va`o che'n ca'c thu+' 
rau, dde^? le^n mo^.t i't ca', mo^.t la't thi.t, cho o+'t 
va`o, va('t the^m ti' chanh, chan the^m mo^.t muo^~n nu+o+'c 
ma('m kho ro^`i ca^`m ddu?a va` va`o mie^.ng, (oh! coi 
chu+`ng: ddu+`ng nhai nhanh qua') nhai tu+` tu+` ... Mu`i 
ma('m, mu`i rau  , co^.ng vo+'i vi. dda('ng cu?a rau dda('ng, 
vi. cay cu?a o+'t, vi. chua cu?a chanh, vi. be'o cu?a thi.t 
ta.o ne^n mo^.t thu+' ca?m gia'c ... thie^.t la` he^'t 
bie^'t, he^'t cho^~ che^ . 

	Ca' linh chu+a cha('c dda~ thua ca' salmon dda^u a` 
nghen. Ne^'u ngu+o+`i bie^'t la`m ca' thi` ho. thu+o+`ng 
lu+.a nhu+~ng con ca' linh ba?n to ba(`ng hai ngo'n tay, la`m 
sa.ch, u+o+'p gia vi., cho va`o no^`i, du+o+'i co' lo't vi? 
mi'a dd^.y na('p chu.m lu+?a riu riu cho ra(.c nu+o+'c. Xong, 
vo+'t ca' ra di~a, tre^n so^'t ca`, du`ng muo^'i tie^u chanh 
a(n vo+'i ba'nh mi`. Con ca' linh me^`m ru.t dde^'n xu+o+ng: 
bu`i, be'o, ngo.t ... co' thua gi` ca' mo`i Xumako cu?a 
Maroc!

	No'i va`i ddie^`u ve^` ca' linh cho ca'c ba'c the`m 
cho+i . Co' ddie^`u ho+i tie^'c la` va`i na(m tru+o+'c dda^y, 
khi ve^` tha(m nha`, to^i tha^'y ca' linh kho^ng co`n nhie^`u 
nhu+ tru+o+'c nu+~a, co' le~ vi` ngu+o+`i ta du`ng thuo^'c 
ho'a ho.c tre^n ruo^.ng ddo^`ng nhie^`u qua' va` vo^ ti`nh 
gie^'t che^'t ddi loa.i ca' ngon na`y. Ma(.c du` va^.y, ca' 
linh va^~n co`n thu+`a su+'c la`m cho ma^m co+m no^ng da^n 
kho^ng ma^'t ddi ba?n sa('c truye^`n tho^'ng Nam bo^. . 

        He^'t!