Culinary artist passionate about the old flavors of Hanoi

Journalist Vu Tuyet Nhung, a culinary artist of Hanoi, decided to turn an ancient house in a small alley on Giap Nhat Street, Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi into a cultural destination: Hanoi Afternoon Gifts.

Diners get to experience the steps to make the dish.

From old articles to the space "Afternoon Gifts of Hanoi "

Journalist Vu Tuyet Nhung worked for many years at Hanoi Radio and Television Station. She left her mark in the programs: Our Hanoi, Hanoi of a Thousand Years of Culture, Hanoi Specialties, Delicious Dishes Every Day...

Her articles in her journalism career, including articles on radio, television and printed newspapers, were published in a book titled “Ha Thanh Huong Xua Vi Cu”. The book was warmly received and reprinted several times, distributed both in the South and the North, and even attracted the attention and search of many overseas Vietnamese. The interesting thing is that the book was not published by her, but by a group of publishers who gathered and printed it themselves.

As social media grew, young reporters who admired her created a Facebook group called Ha Thanh Huong Xua Vi Cu. This became a place for Ms. Vu Tuyet Nhung to share articles introducing dishes prepared by her in the traditional style.

The idea to make "Afternoon Gifts from Hanoi", according to journalist Vu Tuyet Nhung, was also surprising. "A young person, a fan of my books, exclaimed, "Teacher, when can I taste the dishes you cook?". That statement moved me very much and gave rise to the idea of ​​making the program "Afternoon Gifts from Hanoi". For a long time, I have always been concerned with the desire to spread and preserve traditional culinary culture. Therefore, her words opened up a new way of thinking for me, and I started planning to make Afternoon Gifts from Hanoi" - Ms. Nhung said.

So "Hanoi Afternoon Gift" was born, fulfilling her wish to promote Hanoi's culinary culture to all beloved guests, especially young people who rarely have the opportunity to come into contact with traditional Hanoi cuisine. "Among them, there are delicious dishes that have been lost over time and I have restored them such as pickled duck, goose egg cake, bong bong cooked with shrimp soup... or less popular traditional dishes such as cold vermicelli with snails, Trieu Khuc pickled rice cake, shrimp rolls..." - Ms. Vu Tuyet Nhung shared.

The structure of each Hanoi Afternoon Gifts session includes art performances such as ca tru, hat xam, cheo, musical instrument performances; the main part is a presentation on cooking dishes in the old Hanoi style and finally, guests get to experience the culinary enjoyment.

Traditional Bun Thang dish made by artisan Vu Tuyet Nhung.

A gathering place for culture lovers

When I was present at the "Hanoi Afternoon Gift" space, in the living room of about 30 square meters, 30 guests sat at tea tables, there were guests from the South, sometimes the program even welcomed overseas Vietnamese who came to attend on the occasion of returning from abroad. The guests listened to Ms. Tuyet Nhung herself, or the guest MCs introduce, read essays about the day's theme dish and enjoyed folk songs. After that, the guests were guided through the steps to cook the theme dish, with the instructor's own notes and secrets to make the dish more delicious. Each diner participated in the steps, and was able to arrange and decorate their own portion. After the decoration, it was time to enjoy the beautiful dishes, with the traditional flavor of old Hanoi.

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“My own house, a space decorated in an old style, imbued with the soul and care of myself and my family, makes people more excited than if I rented a place that might be more crowded, might earn more money but might not be attractive to young people.”

Journalist Vu Tuyet Nhung

Looking at that warm and vibrant scene, no one knew that, at first, Ms. Tuyet Nhung and her colleagues also encountered many difficulties. However, the passion for cuisine and the desire to preserve and spread traditional cuisine to lovers, especially young people, helped Ms. Tuyet Nhung have more motivation to strive to organize the program. Hanoi Afternoon Gift has been opened for nearly 4 months, attracting many guests to attend, even guests flying in from the South, about 1/3 of the guests coming to "Hanoi Afternoon Gift" are young people.

The program is achieving relatively good effects. There are young people who have returned up to 3 times to enjoy traditional dishes. However, during the process of making "Afternoon Gifts of Hanoi", Ms. Tuyet Nhung felt that if we only promote Hanoi cuisine, meaning that customers come to the program only to eat a certain delicious dish, it would be a waste. Therefore, in addition to the physical dishes, "Hanoi Afternoon Gifts" has also prepared "spiritual food", which is a music program with traditional folk arts such as Cheo, Xam singing, Ca Tru... Ms. Tuyet Nhung shared more: "I want to promote traditional folk arts, such as Cheo, Ca Tru, Xam singing, Van singing, including modern music such as songs about Hanoi, love for Hanoi, or expressing nostalgia for Hanoi or the pride of Hanoians, I also want to spread to young people. At the same time, this music part also makes the Hanoi Afternoon Gifts program not simply a culinary program but a program to promote national culture".

According to Ms. Vu Tuyet Nhung, the thing she gets most from making "Afternoon Gifts from Hanoi" is sharing joy with everyone. As a volunteer social worker, Ms. Tuyet Nhung has almost no business purpose. The income is just enough to cover expenses, even having to make up for it, and the effort put in is not counted, cannot bring economic benefits. With the view of not being temporary, Ms. Nhung has equipped the "Afternoon Gifts from Hanoi" space with antique tables and chairs, flowers, teapots in traditional style... creating an antique space but still has a modern feel.

The ca tru melodies of the artists make the "Hanoi Afternoon Gift" space more lively.

Ms. Nhung confided: "Although I collect money, I do "Hanoi Afternoon Gift" not for the purpose of making money, because the ticket price is 300,000 VND, but each program only accepts 30 guests, this money is used to buy cooking ingredients, pay the workers (to prepare ingredients, process) and mostly to pay the artists who perform folk music".

Many customers of "Hanoi Afternoon Gifts" have gone from initial curiosity to becoming regular customers of this space. Then "good news spread far and wide"... Everyone who comes here is very excited to share, and after leaving still wants to come back.

“When people respond to me, I feel everyone's affection for the program. I myself always look for ways to organize so that visitors to the program feel happier, more excited, and more meaningful,” Ms. Nhung shared. And the "Afternoon Gifts of Hanoi" space always innovates and invests to increase the value of the experience for those who love culture and cuisine. For example, there is a lucky draw to win a dish cooked by Ms. Tuyet Nhung herself or gifts made by her with traditional cakes such as Son Tay rice cakes, square cakes, and duc cakes. That is also a way to spread the love for Hanoi cuisine and spread the lifestyle of Hanoians who bring home a little gift for their loved ones every time they leave the house.

Source: https://daidoanket.vn/nghe-nhan-am-thuc-dam-me-huong-xua-vi-cu-ha-thanh-10299028.html