Eating and drinking

Regarding food and drink, our ancestors had many proverbs, sayings, and folk songs. There are sayings like "Illness enters through the mouth," "Eat while watching the pot, sit while watching the direction," "Eat from the tree you fence," "Eat carefully to stay full longer," etc. But in general, our ancestors believed that eating and drinking is a delicate matter, because for Vietnamese people, it contains a rich cultural and historical heritage. If not careful, a meal can easily become a source of shame, even causing serious consequences simply because the principle of "eating equally, sharing fairly" is not followed.

Providing healthcare for the elderly, war veterans, and families entitled to preferential policies is one of the tasks that the province pays special attention to.

Recently, public opinion across the country was stirred by the incident of 11 students eating only two packets of instant noodles with rice in Bac Ha district, Lao Cai province. The uproar stemmed from sympathy for the children in the mountainous region, who already faced hardship and lacked food and clothing. The uproar intensified when it was discovered that the root of the problem was that adults had embezzled their already meager rations, a result of limited resources in the country and by the local government.

In this case, it must be stated that the mastermind's actions were truly shameful. Shameful because he disregarded the moral principle of not bullying the weak. Shameful because if he had the audacity to engage in such filthy behavior, why didn't he do it properly, something worthy of his status... instead of exploiting young children who are still immature in their thinking, understanding, and ability to defend themselves...

Moreover, when the matter was exposed, those responsible evasively claimed that such meals were isolated incidents, due to unexpected circumstances , and not a regular occurrence. In other words, they denied eating them even though they were in the process – a truly shameful act.

Strangely enough, people, whether rich or poor, eat only three meals a day on average. And no matter how big their stomachs are, they can only hold a certain amount of food. Yet, there are many people who, without knowing the reason or the potential consequences, just rush to eat whatever they can find. That's called gluttony.

It must be said that the greedy species possesses a very special ability. They not only consume food, but also steel, and can drink gasoline and oil. They can even devour entire systems and policies…

Besides some cases being exposed and brought to trial, many others who engage in such greed remain at large. However , we believe that everything has its price; the sins of the father are visited upon the son. The price to pay might even be greater than the initial cost, and by then, regret will be too late.

In contrast to the unacceptable eating habits mentioned above, Vietnamese people also have extremely humane and noble eating customs, such as remembering the person who planted the tree when eating the fruit, and remembering the source when drinking water...

It must be affirmed that the saying "eat the fruit and remember the tree that planted the tree" or "drink the water and remember the source" is not just a theoretical admonition from our ancestors, but has become a precious tradition of the nation for generations. This tradition is demonstrated through practical actions, through real people , real deeds, and real results.

For example, in Vinh Phuc province , on average each year , the province mobilizes resources and supports the construction of hundreds of new houses for disadvantaged families; it also spends trillions of dong on low-interest loans or support for policy beneficiary families and people with meritorious services to overcome difficulties and improve their lives.

The movement of showing gratitude and repaying kindness has been actively supported by Party committees, government agencies, departments, mass organizations, the Fatherland Front, political and social organizations, and people of all ethnic groups in the province through concrete and practical actions. To date, 100% of the surviving Vietnamese Heroic Mothers are being cared for and supported for life by political and social organizations, agencies, military and police units, schools, hospitals, businesses, and philanthropists.

Every year, the province mobilizes all officials, workers, employees, and businesses to actively participate and encourage all sectors of the population to contribute to the "Gratitude and Remembrance" Fund. Martyrs' cemeteries and other memorial sites in localities throughout the province have been built and renovated, becoming sacred historical and cultural landmarks. The province also pays special attention to the work of collecting the remains of martyrs and relocating their remains back to their hometowns according to the wishes of their families.

Thanks to the attention of all levels of government, relevant agencies, and the entire population of the province, to date, families of those who rendered meritorious services to the revolution in the area have a living standard equal to or higher than the average living standard of the local community; there are no policy beneficiary families classified as poor; and there are no outstanding cases of processing applications for those who rendered meritorious services to the revolution…

I've come to realize that, even though it's all about food , if you always know how to be considerate and remember those who cultivated it, everyone will appreciate you and you'll be recognized by society. Conversely, if you only care about devouring everything to fill your greedy pockets, sooner or later you'll die from overeating.

Text and photos: Long Duong

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