“Aunt Ba’s crab tray” is still located on the sidewalk of alley 565 Nguyen Trai (District 5, Ho Chi Minh City). The alley seems to have fewer people passing by than before the Covid-19 pandemic. The deserted crab tray is even more sad after a sudden rain in November. Mrs. Ba (real name Huynh Ngoc Dung, 75 years old) looks far away, looking towards the beginning of the alley.
Currently, health problems have made Mrs. Ba no longer as agile and active as before. After undergoing surgery for a goiter in 2021, her vocal cords were blocked, she could not speak clearly, only mumbled and mainly expressed herself through actions and gestures.
In 2018, "Aunt Ba's crab tray" appeared in a series of large and small newspapers, news sites, and social networks with headlines such as: "Unprecedented scene, hundreds of people competing to buy all the crab trays in 3 minutes", "Stunned scene of jostling to buy "Aunt Ba's crab tray" in Saigon, 10 minutes to sell 30kg", "Mrs. Ba's steamed crab tray sold out in 5 minutes in Saigon"... At that time, customers still lined up for hours to wait to buy each crab. "As soon as Mrs. Ba put down the red crab tray, arms from all around surrounded her, scrambling to grab it without time to choose, and the crab tray was immediately sold out in a flash", a newspaper article at that time described.
Even the simple "Aunt Ba's crab tray", nestled on the sidewalk of Nguyen Trai Street at that time, appeared in Chinese media. The popularity and popularity of this crab tray quickly attracted the attention and curiosity of many diners, YouTubers, and Food Reviewers.
However, the bustling situation only lasted for nearly a year. A series of incidents occurred when Mrs. Ba was continuously criticized for selling rotten crabs, skipping deliveries, and charging "exorbitant" prices... In particular, the Covid-19 epidemic forced her business to stop for a long time, and the crab trays fell into oblivion.
In recent years, the crab tray that once caused a stir has become deserted and desolate. Instead of "selling out of breath", Mrs. Ba sits and waits for customers every day, from 10am to 4-5pm.
"Before, I only started selling at 12:30. When there were still many customers, customers would come here at 12 o'clock. But after the pandemic, sales slowed down so I decided to start selling earlier. I sat here at 10 am to sell until late afternoon," Ms. Ba whispered. Ms. Bay, a vendor next door, helped "translate" for the reporter to understand.
A regular customer of Mrs. Ba shared: "When Mrs. Ba's products were selling well, there were also many rumors and negative gossip that affected her. But I think the biggest reason is because of the economic situation. Recently, the labor market has been difficult, so spending a few hundred thousand to buy a crab is difficult."
According to Mrs. Ba, instead of selling 100-130kg of crab per day like in 2018, now she only sells 6-7kg of crab per day. Mrs. Ba's crab tray has 3 main types of crab: meat crab (VND 600,000/kg), red brick crab (VND 650,000/kg) and soft-shell crab (VND 1 million/kg). This price will fluctuate depending on the day, at peak times soft-shell crab is sold for VND 1.2-1.3 million/kg.
"Sometimes I sit until the afternoon and still have so much crab left, I go find children or people in need to give it away for free. Up until now, I have never kept crab overnight because it becomes hard and loses its characteristic deliciousness," Mrs. Ba shared with a sad look in her eyes.
Mrs. Ba placed all the steamed Ca Mau crabs on a round tray, next to them were a few tools such as a crab shell cracking knife for the customers, a scale, and especially bags of "divine dipping sauce" made by Mrs. Ba herself. There was no sign, no place to sit, most customers bought it to take away to enjoy elsewhere.
"Most places that sell crabs tie a thick string around the crab to make more profit, but I don't. I just wrap the crab with a thin elastic band and steam it. Although the price is a bit higher than many other places, I guarantee that the crab is fresh, delicious and fatty. Because I have more than ten years of experience selling and selecting crabs, I know which crabs are delicious and of good quality," said Ms. Ba.
Mrs. Ba brought home fresh, firm Ca Mau crabs, cleaned and carefully processed before steaming. Each crab was brushed with a thin layer of oil before steaming. According to Mrs. Ba, this is the factor that makes the crab fragrant, beautiful and gives it a bright red color.
Her husband and only son have passed away, so Mrs. Ba now sells crabs for a living, occasionally giving money to her grandson. Thanks to the crab dish's popularity, Mrs. Ba has enough money to pay off the debt she thought she would never be able to pay in her lifetime. In addition, she has also rented a more stable place to live in District 8. Every morning, she takes a bus from District 8 to District 5 to sell crabs.
"Many people say I'm out of favor and out of time, but I don't care. I consider that time when business was booming as a blessing and a blessing from God. Thanks to that, I've now paid off all my debts, cured my illness, have a place to shelter from the sun and rain, and have some money left over for my old age. Occasionally, I do charity work, sharing a little bit of my heart with people who are in more difficult situations than me. That's enough for me," Ba said with a smile.
Mrs. Bay, a fruit seller next to Mrs. Ba's crab tray, often helps Mrs. Ba sell goods and exchange customers. "Mrs. Ba is kind but has a hard life, so everyone in this area loves her. Seeing her pay off her debts and cure her illness through her business makes me happy too. Many people say that her crabs are expensive, but I tell you the truth, you get what you pay for. The crabs are very sweet, fatty and fragrant, it's not for nothing that so many customers come, they have to be delicious for them to come," said Mrs. Bay.
"Many times I did not advise Mrs. Ba to stay home and rest because she was old, but she said she was sad and wanted to do business to earn money. Now she lives alone, so whatever she likes and is happy with, let her do it. I sell next door, so I help with whatever I can," Mrs. Bay added.
Article and photos: Vo Nhu Khanh
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