Delicious 0 Dong rice with the authentic homemade taste of Phu Quoc people

Charity kitchen at Phu Quoc City Medical Center with delicious and heartwarming meals for over 20 years - Photo: CHI CONG

Ms. Yen has been doing this job for more than 20 years but she has never felt tired or bored. "Cooking is easy to say, but to stick with it, I think it requires heart and especially hard work like this," Ms. Yen shared.

To cook thousands of free meals, Ms. Yen and the others do not have a moment to rest. "Rice and some vegetables are donated by benefactors. We have to calculate these ingredients to change the dishes, cook nutritious dishes every day," Ms. Yen said, then put the rice pot on the stove.

The charity kitchen is only about 30 square ^meters but is arranged neatly and tidily by Ms. Yen and other uncles and aunts. The kitchen used for cooking is just a large gas stove.

Receiving a portion of rice, Ms. Le Thi Anh Thu (in Ham Ninh commune, Phu Quoc city) said: " My child has been treated here for kidney disease for a long time. My family is poor and does not have enough money to treat my child, but luckily this charity kitchen gives me free rice and porridge, so I feel much better.

The rice here is delicious and has a truly homemade taste. In this dire situation, even if the meal has vegetables, tubers, or tofu, the effort you put into cooking is so precious ."

Another personal story is that of Ms. Do Bich Tuyen, who shared her story through difficult times: " If it weren't for this kitchen, even if I worked hard collecting scrap metal on the street, I still wouldn't have enough food for my children. My family is poor, I have many children, my husband works hard at sea all year round and still doesn't have much left. Luckily, I found out about this kitchen and asked to help out ."

Patient's family members come down to receive rice from the Charity Kitchen - Photo: CHI CONG

The charity kitchen at Phu Quoc City Medical Center always has uncles and aunts cooking delicious meals for poor patients - Photo: CHI CONG

The charity kitchen at Phu Quoc City Medical Center was established in 2003. In order to keep the kitchen burning to cook meals of love, in addition to mobilizing benefactors, Ms. Nguyen Thi Cam Chi - Vice President of the Association for Supporting Poor Patients in Duong Dong Ward (Phu Quoc City) - sometimes spent 100 million VND out of her own pocket to buy food to cook for poor patients.

"Those who have money help, those who have strength contribute. We work without any competition and are very happy. As long as the poor people and poor patients overcome adversity, the rest of us and I will enthusiastically support them," Ms. Chi said heartily in her typical Western style.

Phu Quoc people are so kind and generous in helping each other in times of hardship and difficulty. Therefore, in addition to 1,000 servings of porridge and rice every day, the locality has also established a blood bank (currently with about 40-50 people) ready to donate blood when there is a patient in need.

Help abandoned babies have a home

Ms. Tran Thi Bich Lieu - the person who adopted an abandoned nephew in Phu Quoc - said that when she heard that the Association for Supporting Poor Patients in Duong Dong Ward had just helped an abandoned boy and the local authorities had announced a search for relatives (but so far no one has claimed the biological parents or relatives of the boy), she came to find him.

"I've been here with my grandchild for the past few days and am doing the adoption procedures because no biological parents have come to claim the child," Ms. Lieu shared.

Ms. Cam Chi also said that in recent years, Phu Quoc has seen a large number of people from all over the country coming to live and work, and there are also many poor workers. Life is difficult and poor, so a few people give birth and cannot afford to raise their children, so they give them away or abandon them.

"We often help and take care of the children abandoned by their parents until they have new families," said Ms. Chi.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/com-0-dong-ngon-dung-vi-nha-lam-cua-nguoi-dan-phu-quoc-20241014092225872.htm