Prose

"Wearing armor, dancing with a long beard, carrying a sword with him, a brave man can fly across the land, and walk the rivers and lakes with his own heroism." After reading this poem about lobsters on the Internet, I suddenly felt so heroic, not only Thinking of the Zhonghe Second Crayfish Food Festival, which was just held for two days, it is said that at the Crayfish Food Festival, there will be live performances by Bashu comedians, CCTV Happy Bill auditions, the selection of the most beautiful merchants, exhibitions and sales of special agricultural products, and other cultural activities. How can such tempting delicacies not arouse my appetite? No matter what, I will take advantage of this Dragon Boat Festival holiday to have some fun.

Spicy crayfish, fish-flavored crayfish, garlic-flavored crayfish... I don’t know when, crayfish climbed onto the Chinese dining table and became a "favorite" in restaurants on the streets and alleys. Seasonal delicacies”. As a diner, I may not know how many ways to prepare crayfish, but I know that the "pest" that was once a nuisance to the villagers has now become a star of agriculture and tourism in Zhonghe Town, Yanjiang District, Ziyang, Sichuan Province.

As the trump card of late-night snack stalls, crayfish has a national market size of over 100 billion yuan. Chengdu consumes 20 to 30 tons of crayfish every day, while Ziyang Yanjiang District consumes at least 2,000 tons of crayfish every year... .From these data, it is enough to reflect the popularity of Zhonghe crayfish. From breeding to catering, Zhonghe crayfish has become a delicacy in the hearts of Ziyang people.

June 18th is the Dragon Boat Festival. There were five of us and we took a shortcut along the rural road to Zhonghe. Although the road condition was not good, it was much closer.

As we were approaching Zhonghe Town, our eyes suddenly lit up. We saw neat farmyards, uniform white walls and red tiles, two-story buildings, shaded by willow trees. Every farmhouse had a farmhouse, and there was actually one. "Lotus Pond Music" singing hall, with such a beautiful view, I not only stopped the car, took out my mobile phone and started clicking, I looked up and saw Mingyue Village in Zhonghe Town. Isn't this the Mingyue Village of the crayfish breeding base?

In the past two years, the popularity of the crayfish industry has accelerated the development of the breeding industry. In 2015, Zhonghe Town developed characteristic industries to get rid of poverty and become rich. 18 villages in the town jumped out of the mindset of just making money by growing crops and switched to crayfish farming. The breeding scale has exceeded 5,000 acres, and the annual output has exceeded 1,000 tons, forming a " The three-dimensional agricultural industry development model of "citrus on the mountain and lobster in the water".

Farmer Wu Yong has caught up with the crawfish farming trend. Last year, under his leadership, more than 10 farmers in Longhu Village, Zhonghe Town established the Yuechen Aquatic Products Professional Cooperative. "Last year, the purchase price of one kilogram of crayfish was more than 40 yuan, and the 60-acre shrimp pond earned more than 200,000 yuan a year." Wu Yong said happily.

In Zhonghe Town, by developing the crayfish breeding industry and selling home-grown crayfish to Zhonghe’s catering industry, Ziyang City and Chengdu markets, more than 10 poor households in Zhonghe Town have already Get rid of poverty and take off the "poverty hat". Some farmers can increase their income by 30,000 yuan a year by cultivating crayfish. An integrated pattern of crayfish production and marketing with Zhonghe Town as the core is gradually taking shape.

Breeding is just the beginning for Zhonghe Town to build the "Zhonghe Crayfish" brand. In order to better promote this crayfish "ace", Zhonghe Town is based on the "festival stage" model , playing the golden sign of "Lobster Festival".

Last year’s first Ziyang Zhonghe Crayfish Food Festival created five “historical records” in terms of passenger flow, traffic flow, consumption, attention, and influence during the festival in Zhonghe Town. According to incomplete statistics, there were more than 120,000 tourists and diners during the food festival. On the opening day alone, there were more than 60,000 people. The total consumption exceeded 1.6 million yuan, of which more than 26,000 kilograms of crayfish were consumed and the sales amount exceeded 900,000 yuan. , all three values ??are about 13 times that of normal holidays.

Today, with the help of the "Lobster Festival", Zhonghe Town, Yanjiang District, Ziyang has embarked on a new development path of "making something out of nothing", which has also accumulated fame, popularity, and business for this previously unknown town. Qi and wealth.

You can feel the lively atmosphere when you enter the event venue on the north-south main road of Zhonghe Industrial Park. Many local and foreign foodies drove to the event site. Parked vehicles stretched for several kilometers. The place was crowded. I have been to Zhonghe several times, and every time I come I marvel at the changes in Zhonghe Town. Since the opening of the Zhonghe Toll Station on the Suizi-Mei Expressway and the construction of the Zhonghe Industrial Park, the industrial park has spacious and straight asphalt roads extending in all directions and green trees. There are many factories in the shade.

The rows of green tents are eye-catching, and each merchant is trying their best: some cover them with the kind of foam that holds vegetables, and put lobsters on them in various patterns to attract customers. Guests; some have boiled lobsters for everyone to taste; some have discounts and promotions, eat three pounds and get one pound free. In front of every door, there are large pots of fresh lobsters with their teeth and claws dancing.

We wandered around the Lobster Festival, our legs were weak and our eyes were dazzled. Suddenly at the crossroads, a stall selling Fifth Brother's sad jelly attracted attention. "I want to eat cold cake. I haven't had it in many years." Looking at the crystal clear cold cake, I shouted to the shop owner.

"Oh, sad jelly! Have a bowl, I'm really sad!" Xiaozhen, a beautiful colleague, shouted in shock. "It's called sad jelly if it's spicy. It's sad if it makes you cry!" We teased her.

A bowl of cold cake, soft and delicate, melting in the mouth, with brown sugar, peanuts and sesame seeds, sweet and refreshing, just like the food my grandpa took me to eat on the street when I was a child, as if I suddenly found the taste of childhood.

Xiao Zhen’s jelly was served, white and thin, with onions, ginger and garlic, and spicy oil evenly covering it.

Xiaozhen took a bite and said, "Well, it's delicious, it's delicious!" Then beads of sweat oozed from the tip of her nose, and tears flowed out.

"Xiaozhen is really sad!" We laughed.

Xiaozhen also smiled and said casually: "Eating jelly during the Dragon Boat Festival, your true feelings are in the jelly, and my true love is in the jelly, so lingering, so intoxicated, I shed sad tears. ”

Just after eating jelly, the gorgeous stage over there started to move. With a handsome man from CCTV presiding over fluent and standard Mandarin, the CCTV Happy Account Ziyang station opened. First, CCTV brought a lively song and dance that excited the audience, and then several aunts came on stage to perform. Although their talents were not very good, their courage was commendable. Subsequently, cycling performances, dances, solos, and allegro tumblings took the stage. Ziyang contestants showed the talent and talent of Ziyang people in various forms, winning unanimous praise from the judges and teachers and warm applause from the audience.

"Go up and sing, and try to get your lobster bill reimbursed today." At the instigation of friends, a tourist from Ziyang City signed up to sing two songs temporarily, and won the honor of two teachers among the three judges. Advancement for sure.

The audition is over and night falls. Many businesses are already crowded under the awnings. Spicy, garlic, salt and pepper, thirteen spices, and oil stew are all filled with endless aftertaste. We finally found a local lobster restaurant at home and sat down. After a while, a plate of bright and fragrant lobster was brought out.

It is said that there are 4 catering service units specializing in crayfish sales in Zhonghechang Town. The most famous one is Zhonghe Xinyuan Hotel. The daily sales volume of crayfish ranges from 600 to 800 kilograms. Sales during holidays can exceed 1,000 kilograms. Secondly, Zhonghe Shuren Delicatessen Lobster House, Hetang Moonlight Farmhouse and Liangkeshu Stir-fried Lobster House all sell more than a few hundred kilograms of lobster every day. Restaurants have become the main focus of crayfish cooked food consumption.

I picked up a big lobster, broke it open, and the tender shrimp meat was exposed. I took one bite and it was smooth, tender, spicy and fragrant. I couldn't stop eating it and couldn't wait to eat it. Grabbed another one.

On the night of the Dragon Boat Festival, beer and crayfish, we fried the Dragon Boat Festival and lobster together.