The Beauty of Humanity Movement (128 page)

H
ng raises his chopsticks to his mouth.

Old Man H
ng is revealing secrets. He is teaching T
exactly how to make his ph
. It is late at night, and he is yelling the instructions from T
’s bed, the words floating down the staircase to the kitchen.

“I can smell the caramel!” the old man yells. “Those onions are done.”

T
pulls the first batch of browned onions and ginger away from the heat. He is beginning to see that this is not simply a cooking exercise, but one in patience. For a truly superior broth you need to boil the beef and bones gently for hours, skimming the grey film off the surface of the water before adding the lightly browned onions and ginger, carrot and radish, cinnamon, cloves and star anise, then returning it to a soft boil for several more hours before straining the broth and adding a pungent splash of
. But why has the old man ordered T
’s mother and father out of the kitchen? It is as if H
ng has decided to skip a generation and pass this legacy directly on to him.

Old Man H
ng wakes T
for the final preparations well before sunrise, banging a cane against the floor above. T
rises stiffly from the table where he had fallen asleep, the air dewy like a spring morning after heavy rains, and removes the broth from the heat over which it has been simmering all night. He strains it bowl by bowl through a sieve. He skims off the fat that rises to the surface as it cools, and when he sees no more evidence of shine, he adds salt and fish sauce, testing
it for taste. He chops the herbs, slices the beef thinly across the grain, and places a handful of fresh rice noodles in a sieve, ready to be immersed in boiling water.

“Lastly, prepare a cup of ginseng and say a few words of prayer,” the old man instructs from above. “If you have any doubts, ask Bình to taste the broth. He will tell you the truth.”

T
’s father peers into the pot and inhales. He studies the surface before dipping in his spoon. He stares at the broth on the spoon from all angles, examining it for clarity and colour, making sure no fat is visible as it cools, then finally slides it into his mouth. He savours it, then inhales through an open mouth to see how long the flavour lingers.