“On Sunday morning, instead of sleeping a little more, everyone got up at 5 a.m. to work. Even though they were tired, everyone was happy, the restaurant atmosphere was like Tet because they were able to do something meaningful…”.
That was the confession of young man Nguyen Duc Nhat Thuan (affectionately known as Thuan Ca Men) on his personal Facebook, when he finished preparing more than 200 lunches to deliver to support the Covid-19 epidemic prevention force.
This whole week, Ho Chi Minh City has been in a state of social distancing, causing the lives of many people to struggle with food and clothing to fight the Covid-19 epidemic, especially the front-line forces. In that context, a group of young people led by Nguyen Duc Nhat Thuan, owner of Ca Men restaurant specializing in Quang Tri rustic dishes located at the corner of Hoa Su Street, Ward 7, Phu Nhuan District, also “shortened” their business. business due to few customers.
Besides the plan to redecorate the shop, Thuan discussed with his friends and then decided to find a way to support the frontline forces who are working hard day and night to fight, trace, and test against the epidemic. Thuan is busy looking for information on units, locations and times where anti-epidemic forces are on duty, working to determine the amount of food and water support within his “reach”.
“It’s a bit difficult because it’s the first time I’m doing this. Furthermore, my strength is too small, so I need to calculate carefully so that the meals and bottles of water are delicious, safe, and truly appreciated. right into the hands of the doctors, nurses, aunts, uncles, and brothers and sisters on duty to fight the epidemic,” Thuan shared.
Two days later, more than 100 meals and drinks that met the set criteria were personally cooked, packaged and transported by Thuan and the young people to be donated to the anti-epidemic forces at the Children’s Hospital. Similarly, on the morning of Sunday June 6, more than 200 such decent lunches were also delivered to the epidemic prevention force of Trung Vuong Hospital and the combat and security forces on duty in Son Ky Ward. , Tan Phu District.
It is expected that in the coming days, Thuan and his group of young people will still maintain about 350 – 400 lunches each week (about 40,000 VND/serving) to support epidemic prevention forces and poor households who are carrying out the task. Currently quarantined in the city. “We will do our best until we are exhausted,” Thuan smiled happily and confided: “We understand that in order to have evenings with family, to have perfect sleeps, and to be awake in the mornings, Waking up and breathing fresh air is thanks to the efforts of thousands of doctors, medical staff,The police, soldiers, and volunteers in the epidemic prevention force are fighting hard day and night to keep people safe. That’s something we really appreciate and are grateful for.”
Leaving the poor hometown of Quang Tri, Thuan went to Ho Chi Minh City to finish studying at Industrial University 4 and then went to work at companies like many other young people. But the nostalgia for his hometown, especially the hometown dishes, kept haunting him, so Thuan quit his job and decided to “start a business” by opening a restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City with the strange name Ca Men, with specialties. rustic dishes of the homeland such as wet cakes, soup cakes, rice, shrimp paste, braised chicken…
With only empty hands, Ca Men spent a lot of time “hanging out” around Tan Phu District, and only for more than 3 years has he temporarily settled at the corner of Hoa Su Street, Phu Nhuan District with 6-7 young helpers.
Asked about the “potential” to support epidemic prevention forces, Thuan said he was like a speck of dust in life, with only one heart. “We do this from the heart, from respect and gratitude to the people of the Covid-19 epidemic prevention force. My small effort is worth nothing compared to the silent sacrifices of those aunts, uncles, and brothers and sisters,” Thuan confided.
