Now the fields are dry and the rice is golden, as we approach the end of the dry season here in Da Nang it is time to harvest the rice.
I had the opportunity to go out to the field, I even helped out for a few hours!! It really reminded me of summers spent helping my neighbours haying back home in Bloomfield!! However, rice harvesting, in Vietnam at least, is much more labour intensive.
First, you must cut the rice stalks with a reaping hook (or sickle).
Then the cut stalks are placed in small piles as shown in this picture.
Once about 2 saos (1 sao = 500m2)have been cut, the small piles are carried by hand to one large pile. Once all the rice is collected they wait for the tumbling machine to come. The farmers around the community share the use of a tumbling machine, which trashes the rice stalks around to knock the rice grains off and toss the remaining part of the plant back into the field. The left over plant is burnt onsite and spread around the field for fertilizer. Before most families had gas stoves, the left over stalks were taken home with the help of the water buffalo and it was used for fires to cook the family meals.
Once the grains are sorted out of the stalk (each stalk has about 30-40 grains) they are poured into 50lbs bags.
All the farmers in the community work together to help each other harvest the rice. Each land owner then takes their crop home to dry out the grains. This takes about 3 or 4 days of dry weather....which can be difficult at the beginning of the rainy season. The family must keep an eye on the clouds and make sure to bag up the grains before they get wet!!
Once the rice grains are finally dry they are taken again to a communal tumbler machine or mill. After the small yellow husk on each grain is removed, the rice is finally ready for consumption!
I am not sure if this is accurate but from what I have learned about the rice process, a single grain of rice could pass through the human hand about 50 times before finally being served at the dinner table!! Hope this makes you appreciate the little white grains just a bit more....it certainly did for me:-)
Here are a few hard workers stopping for a much deserved lunch break. Of course they bring out the famous local dish, My Quang (My = pronounced 'me' means noodle, Quang is the province it originated) for everyone to have for lunch. You guessed it, the noodles are made of rice, and it is served with fresh shrimp, fish sauce, green vegetables are added just before you take a bit for some extra crunch!
