Hong Que Tran, GPC Student

Banh Chung

When I lived in Vietnam, I usually sat at my grandma’s kitchen table and listened to her stories while I helped her cook. Her stories were mostly about her life, her marriage, and how she raised her twelve children. One of the stories she always kept telling us every Lunar New Year Eve was the story of how my great-grandpa, Tan, agreed for my grandpa, Hoa, to married my grandma, Tha.

            She always started with the legend of Banh Chung, the Vietnamese New Year cake, which all of us had known since we started learning to talk.  Banh Chung is cooked with rice and green beans, and it is covered with banana leaves. People make Banh Chung in the New Year to thank Heaven and Earth for our lives. Some of the cakes are round, and some are square. Round represent heaven; Square represents Earth.

            According to the Vietnamese legend, once upon a time, Hung Vuong XV had eighteen sons. He couldn’t decide which of them would be his heir. One day, he announced that whichever son of his could bring him meaningful things, that son would be the heir to his throne. Among all his sons, there was the youngest son, Van Lang, who was the poorest, and had to farm for his living. While Van Lang’s brothers climbed mountains and went to the ocean to find rare diamonds and elephant teeth as gifts, Van Lang was still farming in order to have money to buy some thing meaningful for his father.

     It was only two days before the festival started, and the youngest still could not think of any thing to bring for his father.    While he slept that night, he met an old man with a white dress and long white beard. The old man told him, “There’s nothing more important than rice and beans. No one could survive without rice.” Van Lang woke up the next morning, and for the whole day, he kept thinking about his dream. That evening, he started cooking rice and beans; He then mixed them together. He got the banana leaves from his garden, and then started wrapping them like the Heaven and Earth form. He boiled them for a night.

    In the early morning, the festival started. While his brothers brought the king rare food, and diamonds, Van Lang brought the simple cakes to his father. Everyone was laughing. The king was surprised but he tasted them anyway. After awhile, he asked everyone to try one. People were so shock because the taste was awesome. The king told the other sons that their youngest brother knew how to make regular foods tasty. The cakes were easy to make. Both normal and rich people could enjoy the cakes. The king then announced Van Lang to be king. 

     To honor the day, the king declared that when New Year comes, every house hold should cook Banh Chung to thank Heaven and Earth. My grandma ended the story with a smile, while we looked at each others as, “Here it comes. Same old, same old.”  Then she told us another story.

            Hoa was an orphan. He knew a little Han Viet language, which was rare in the village, Phu Xuan, Vietnam. Unfortunately he did not have any land. He lived in a small tent near my great-grandpa's field. My great-grandpa was a landowner. Most people in the village worked for him, including my grandpa Hoa.  Hoa worked on the smallest field of my great-grandpa. Because he was truthful and honest, my great-grandpa allowed him to camp there. Each month, Hoa was paid some rice, about 25 pounds. Hoa knew Han Viet so sometimes he wrote China pot for funerals, or wedding. That way he could have some money to spend on other things.

      One day, my grandma, Tha, followed her father to the field. It was love at first sight as my grandma said. It was the forbidden relationship in the Vietnam society at that time, but they loved each other very much. My great-grandpa only had one child, which was my grandma. He didn’t like the love situation but he couldn’t stop it. One day, he called Hoa to his house. He asked if Hoa could bring him something that he would love, and It had to be meaningful, then Hoa could marry his daughter. When my grandpa brought my great-grandpa Banh Chung, great-grandpa was upset, and threw the cake outside.  Hoa then said my great-grandpa didn’t keep his word. That made him more upset.          My great-grandpa demanded Hoa explaining why he made such comment; if Hoa couldn’t, he would put him in jail.

      Hoa reminded my great-grandpa about the past, which everyone in the village knew. Before my great-grandpa became the landowner, he almost died from starving. It was few days after New Year. My great-grandma rescued him from the cold and gave him some Banh Chung. After my great-grandma died, he inherited her lands, and never re-married again. He also didn’t touched Banh Chung and didn’t want any to cook it in his house. My great-grandpa realized that Hoa was in the same similar situation with him. Banh Chung reminded him of his wife. He had never accepted the truth that his wife died. That is why he didn’t want to see Banh Chung. He had to choose either accept the fact or shut down his daughter happiness. He picked up a piece of Banh Chung on the floor. He slowly put it in his mouth, chewing and crying. He accepted my grandpa's gift, and soon celebrated a big wedding for my grandpa and grandma.

            My grandpa and grandma lived happily ever after. Their marriage has lasted 55 years, and they still loves each other every much. They had 12 children, and hundred of nieces. They have a happy marriage because of a simple cake. I was surprise to see the connection between a New Year cake and a long lasting marriage.