Opposite Hang Da market there is a Com stall, it has been there for who knows how long.
"How long have you been selling here? I've seen you since I was a child" - I asked. "I moved here more than 20 years ago. Before me, I was on Duong Thanh Street. In total, it must have been more than 50 years" - the seller replied. "It's been quite a while". "At that time, I was 8 years old and helped my sister sell Com, then after finishing 6th grade, I came here to work permanently".
In the middle of a hot September afternoon, I walked around Hang Da market to find something to eat to satisfy the lingering hunger that had been lingering for a couple of days. Hang Com had no signboard, only a lotus-leaf covered basket protruding onto the sidewalk, dotted with a few dry rice stalks to let people know what was being sold.
Com Vong Street has been here with Hang Da market for 50 years.
The young rice of this season is very sweet, chewy, and has a fragrant milky aroma. The young rice has a light taste, just like what people say or rumor about the old Hanoians.
Fresh green rice flakes are placed neatly in lotus leaves, the veins are still green but the leaves have turned slightly yellow, then wrapped in dry straw. The essence of the harvest and the land is wrapped in the palm of the hand.
"So what time do you start selling every day?". "You prepare from 5am, open at 6am and sell continuously until 6pm". "Do you sell a lot every day?". "Not much, in the past people used to buy one or two kilos. Now they only buy a few ounces for fun".
In old Hanoi, Com was a breakfast dish, an afternoon snack or dessert after meals. In those days, Com was also used as a gift or ceremony. When a boy and a girl liked each other, the boy would bring Com and roses to show their intention to become a couple.
Nowadays, Com is a fun snack. Every now and then, I buy a package of Com from Hang Da market, go to Hang Bac street to sit at a sidewalk cafe, and buy some ripe bananas on the way. I sit and watch the street, and the day suddenly passes quickly.
Green rice flakes are now just a snack.
"Are there still many people making Com Vong in your village?" "They've all built houses and doors, how many people are left?" - the vendor sighed. "Besides my family, there are only 5 or 6 families making Com Vong left."
Green rice is sold twice a year, quietly and silently with the changing times. Like Hang Da market, which used to be bustling with trade, is now less bustling.
"So will your children follow in your footsteps and follow in your footsteps selling Com?". "I have four children, two boys, two girls and eight grandchildren. But nowadays, who would follow in your footsteps and make Com anymore?"
