Family meals - the "glue" that binds happiness

STO - During a tea and wine session, two old men in their sixties sat chatting, then recalled family meals from their humble days. They remembered meals in the fields, with a lot of rice, and simple side dishes of fish, vegetables, and pickles, but they were delicious. And the evening meal that started at dusk was also very warm with all the family members present. By the dim, bright oil lamp, the voices and laughter were loud, dispelling the fatigue after a hard day's work. Through many generations, many families have always maintained family meals, which are the "glue" that binds family members together.

Married for more than 11 years, Le Thi Thuy An and her husband - Vice President of the Women's Union of Ward 4, Soc Trang City (Soc Trang) have always been in harmony. One of the factors that make a happy family is that the members always care about and maintain family meals. According to Thuy An, she and her husband live with her husband's parents, and she and her husband work in two different agencies. No matter how busy they are, they both try to come home to eat with their family. The mother-in-law often goes to the market to cook, and she often cooks the family's favorite dishes. During meals, everyone chats together, and all the fatigue disappears.

Family members of Le Thi Thuy An - Vice President of the Women's Union of Ward 4, Soc Trang City (Soc Trang) gather around the family dinner table. Photo: NGOC HAI

As a women's union officer, Thuy An is quite busy with many union programs and plans. She and the Executive Committee of the Women's Union of Ward 4 have implemented many activities to attract members such as establishing and maintaining the "Khmer Traditional Folk Dance and Art" Club; the women's group supports the sale of agricultural products and raises funds to support women whose relatives work far away, the group that follows her to school... Although she is very active in her union work, An still makes time for her family, especially cherishing family meals because she knows that at home there is always someone waiting for her to eat. Sometimes many members wait for someone to come home before starting to eat.

“I always value family meals, including my parents, my husband and I, and our two children. My husband works in the police force and is very busy. But he still makes time to come home and eat with everyone. After dinner, I sit down to teach my children. Thanks to that, my children are well-behaved and have been excellent students for many years in a row. Although our family has many generations living together, we are still harmonious. The members always care for each other,” Thuy An shared.

With the same thought, for decades, Mrs. Nguyen Hong Phuong and her husband, Noi O hamlet, Huynh Huu Nghia town, My Tu district (Soc Trang) have always maintained family meals. According to Mrs. Phuong, although their house is right next to the market, they have opened a pharmacy, although they are busy, at 11 o'clock they both prepare meals together. "Our grown children have their own families, so we do not live with them. My husband and I are easy-going, not picky eaters, and like to eat fish, so I rarely buy meat when I go to the market. When it's time to eat, if one is away, the other stays home to wait. That's our habit. No matter where we go to eat, it's not as delicious as eating at home," Mrs. Phuong shared.

That habit is not only in Mrs. Phuong's family but also in the couple Duong Thi Thuy Trang, Noi O hamlet, Huynh Huu Nghia town, My Tu district, who maintain two meals a day together. Trang and her husband have two children, the son works in Can Tho, the daughter is studying in Ho Chi Minh City. On holidays and Tet, when the children come home, she cooks the dishes that the children like and the whole family eats together. When the two children are not at home, she still diligently cooks, taking care of each dish for her husband to have a delicious meal. So no matter how busy he is, he rarely skips meals at home. Talking about this, Trang confided: "My husband and I like to eat sour soup, braised fish, so I often cook these dishes. When the children come home, I make grilled ribs, duck cooked with fermented bean curd... My daughter often says she craves home-cooked meals, meals cooked by her mother. Even though I am the only one in charge of the kitchen, I still feel happy, the happiest thing is when everyone eats all the dishes I cook."

Family happiness is like that, it is not difficult to cultivate but simply through family meals. Do not let the kitchen be cold and the dinner table empty. Maintaining family meals plays an important role, connecting family members, everyone chats with each other. It is also a place to show care, care for each other, share delicious food, cook dishes that members like. And that is also a way to maintain family happiness.

NGOC HAI

Source: https://baosoctrang.org.vn/xa-hoi/202503/bua-com-gia-dinh-chat-keo-ket-dinh-hanh-phuc-a8b1d42/