Chaozhou Lane - Women who eat marinated geese

The TV food show is here to solve the mystery of our 47-year-old VAT of gravy.

My marinated goose, very famous. Everyone says we have the most delicious but aged brine in Hong Kong.

It was a VAT half man high, soaked in hundreds of thousands of geese, black, shiny and fragrant. The surface was covered with a thin tarpaulin to protect the forty-seven years. It continues to absorb the essence of goose meat every day, recycling, every day is fresher, stronger and more fragrant than yesterday, boiled and boiled, marinated and marinated, boiled and boiled, never changed. This is a bucket of "blood".

The gravy was passed down from grandfather to father, and now it belongs to my mother.

The host of the food show came to rehearse the speech with my mom before filming.

"Madam Chen Liuqing, thank you for accepting our interview --"

"No." Mother said: "or call me too."

"But did you not say that you were separated from Master, and that you were independent?" Host humanity: "In fact, we also focus on you are the only woman in the authentic food" Chaozhou Lane "Ah.

"Thank you," she said. "We're not officially divorced."

"Oh, it doesn't matter." The host was tactful: "The mystery of the marinade has nothing to do with marital problems. We can focus on the secret recipe."

"The" secret recipe "is not to mention, but each store must have their own characteristics, to break the rice bowl." She laughed: "I said all I can say, the guests think delicious, we are the most happy."

We use all the hometown materials, cinnamon peel, Sichuan pepper, star anise, cumin, cloves, cardamom, sand ginger, old soy sauce, fish sauce, rock sugar, garlic, Wuhua nan gravy, seasoning... Add a lot of koliang wine, the fire will continue. Each time, the goose absorbs the marinade, and constantly oozes its own essence to exchange, perhaps pay more, to fulfill the Chen brine.

Mother revealed: "The brine material must be heavy, but also willing. Three days to pick up and throw away, renew once. - the material can not be long."

Yes, forever, just liquid. The older, the more valuable. No amount of money can buy that.

By the time my mother was interviewed, we had already left Chaozhou Lane. At the end of May 1997, the Land Development Board officially resumed the lane for redevelopment.

Since then, food paradise alleyway customs: scurvy tongues of fire, overbearing fragrance, vulgar eating, happy enjoyment, are therefore removed, into a pile of mud dust. -- as if it had never existed.

We later found the ideal location in Sheung Wan, opened a shop on the floor and continued the marinated goose business.

This business is supported by my mother. Since I was seven years old... .

What happened at the age of seven?

-- My father left home and never came back.

He abandoned us and our daughter, and a VAT of gravy. The whole Chaozhou Lane knew that he kept mistresses on the mainland. Most of our conservative neighbors sympathized with us, though they were like enemies.

After he left, my mother was very silent. She only closed the door and slept for three days without seeing anyone. Then she got up and took care of business without shedding any tears. Although it is only a small food stall, but a lot of things, you have to make your own decisions.

And father good cruel, from now on impassable.

I adore my father very much. -- As much as my mother.

In my impression (seven years old has been very sensible), although my father is rough, not tall, but strong, long Ying, his chest also tattooed black eagle.

He's not my classmate's dad, who carries a briefcase to work. His salary is variable, that is, he is busy around the clock.

Our marinated goose is the toast of everyone. Every Chinese New Year holiday, reservations must be made. Usually crowded in the alley of the guests, sitting inside and outside the shop, tables and chairs bumping, everyone a hot sweat, until midnight can not close the stove.

At first, my father went to the market every morning to pick up about 40 to 50 fat geese weighing seven or eight jin and two months old. ... Later, he went to the mainland, saying it was cheaper and the geese were fatter and smoother. ...

He's been up there a lot. It is said that he is in Shantou yonder, another has a woman. -- People say he's a mistresses. To be honest, my father is so manly that women will automatically go to his side. Many of the women in the neighborhood loved watching him chop geese. "Ah Yang, give me a bag of gravy."

"Good," he laughed. "Long haul!"

Dad's name is not nice. It's a typical earthy smell. He calls "Xie Yang" and takes "born by nature". But it was providence that he had no pain and a big chest. The goose was fast and accurate, and even the black hawk tattoo spread its wings before flying.

A strong man is born with a smiling child. A woman can't help being a mother. My mom was no longer happy about her last name hitting on her man, and she didn't say much. I hated ugly people. Trying to catch a cockroach and put it in to scare them.

Mom was pretty, too. She used to be a saleswoman at the Daimaru Department store and had a lot of pursuers. But she was proud, persistent and determined. She knows what she wants.

-- She only met my father by a stroke of fate.

When she was a young girl, she went swimming and had a seizure halfway through and almost drowned. Peer female colleague strength is not enough, fortunately kill out a strong man to put her on shore. Not only saved her, but also massaged her calves for nearly half an hour.

His gestures were skilled, methodical and measured. It is hard to see how the rough man can be so temperate, completely when handling meat for a long time.

"Never thought he sold marinated geese." Mother recalled: "We don't know each other, after all, you have been abusing me for a long time!"

He laughed: "I am your rescuer, you are not a goose on my hand."

She beat him by a dozen. Maybe 30. His hand hurt, and he didn't respond.

She said, "No one will marry. Only thank you for your support."

Grandma, like all the loving mother in the world, see far, think much. She didn't really approve. But there was no way. The rice was cooked.

Probably when I got pregnant, I followed him.

With him, when her Lord. It was her idea to lose him, to stand on her own two feet. -- This shows that my mother is an extraordinary woman.

If she hadn't met her Nemesis, sunk in the mud, unable to extricate herself, her story would have been more than that.

Only she ate his marinated goose once, and from then on, for the rest of her life, she had to eat her marinated goose. Me too.