'Where will Pho Yeu Thuong go this year?' is the question sent to the organizers by pho restaurants and delicious pho cooks before Pho Day every December 12.
Ms. Bich Tran, owner of Pho restaurant 34 Cao Thang (HCMC), will go to the Northwest with her mother-in-law to cook Pho to treat the people of Lang Nu - Photo: D.PHAN
And the journey of delicious, healthy bowls of pho to the poor people and children in mountainous and border villages... this year will come to the people of Lang Nu (Lao Cai).
Ms. NGUYEN TIEU BICH TRAN
Go to Nu Village, no need to worry about anything
A day before departure, Pho restaurant 34 Cao Thang (District 3, Ho Chi Minh City) was still busy welcoming guests. Ms. Nguyen Tieu Bich Tran - the restaurant owner, who won the Golden Star Anise award for her excellent Pho cooking skills - had finished preparing for a special trip to Lao Cai on December 12.
This is the trip where she brings her pho cooking skills and her heart to share and cook 700 bowls of pho to serve the people of Lang Nu, a place that has gone through a year of many painful losses.
In a spacious and bustling pho restaurant, Ms. Bich Tran said that her decision to join the trip to Lang Nu to cook pho came from her emotions of witnessing the painful losses that people suffered due to natural disasters.
"When the disaster happened, I read the newspaper and wanted to do something but couldn't think of a way. So, as soon as Tuoi Tre newspaper announced that the Pho Yeu Thuong program would come to Lang Nu, I decided to participate right away," Ms. Tran said emotionally.
Ms. Tran's journey to the Northwest to cook pho was accompanied by her mother-in-law. In addition to 100kg of bones and beef, beef balls prepared from Ho Chi Minh City, she also brought a large bone-boiling pot, a pot of broth... "It's true that it's cumbersome, but to cook 700 servings for children and people, a large pot like that is guaranteed," Ms. Tran shared.
Knowing that Ms. Tran’s pho restaurant brought pho to Lang Nu, many people sent her gifts and ingredients to bring with them. They wanted to join in the effort, and that made her happier with what she was doing.
Mr. Nguyen Tien Hai has been attached to the Pho Yeu Thuong buses for many years - Photo: QUANG DINH
Heal with Pho Love
Regularly participating in the annual Pho Yeu Thuong program, Hoa An Vang Nguyen Tien Hai, owner of the Pho S (Ngoc Linh Ginseng) chain, said that every year he and his family try to arrange to accompany Tuoi Tre newspaper in charity programs.
The trips are not only to contribute to the community but also help him feel more deeply about the value of life, "heal" himself and be more proud of his pho cooking profession.
"When I heard that Pho Yeu Thuong was coming to Lang Nu this year, I immediately thought this was an opportunity to do something meaningful. Before, I donated money to support, but this time I personally went to the villagers, so I was very happy," Hai shared before his departure.
Instead of preparing the broth in advance, Mr. Hai brought nearly 80kg of bones and meat from Ho Chi Minh City to cook on the spot, ensuring the most complete pho flavor.
According to the plan, as soon as they got off the plane, the group went straight to Lao Cai, so the trip would be very tiring. In return, just thinking about the eager eyes and bright smiles of the children when enjoying pho, Mr. Hai said all the preparations were worth it.
Having brought pho to Nghe An, then to children with cerebral palsy in Nam Dinh or poor children in Tho Xuan district (Thanh Hoa), children in shelters in Da Lat..., Mr. Hai said the most memorable trip for him was the journey of bringing pho to Soc Bom Bo.
He said: "That time, we finished cooking pho until almost noon because the road was difficult. But when I saw children who had never eaten pho before happily enjoying it, that image stayed with me forever."
Each trip brings different emotions to the pho cooks. Behind the charity trips is also the business philosophy of contributing and sharing. "Social activities not only create goodwill with international partners but also demonstrate the responsibility of the business towards the community," said Mr. Hai.
For the pho cooks on the Pho Yeu Thuong bus, the smiles on the faces of the children when receiving a hot bowl of pho, the excitement and anticipation from those who eat pho for the first time in their lives... are the values they "harvest" on the journey of bringing pho to love. That feeling also includes pride in a traditional Vietnamese dish that spreads throughout Vietnam.
Pho with love to Lang Nu
With the desire that the series of events on Pho Day 12-12 is not only about culture and cuisine but also about love, sharing, and full of emotions, Tuoi Tre newspaper cooperated with Lao Cai Provincial Youth Union and Bao Yen district to organize the program Pho Yeu Thuong 2024 at Phuc Khanh Primary and Secondary School No. 1 on December 11 and 12.
Here, the artists of the pho restaurants participating in the program will instruct the women of Phuc Khanh commune and the teachers of Phuc Khanh Primary and Secondary School No. 1 on how to cook delicious bowls of pho.
Tuoi Tre Newspaper also gave meaningful gifts to 33 households in Lang Nu (households that have just received houses in the new resettlement area); teachers and all students of Phuc Khanh School No. 1. Each of 320 students will receive a gift bag including: backpack, dried pho, sausage and 1 million VND in cash; each teacher will receive a gift of 2 million VND in cash...
And of course, delicious bowls of pho cooked by famous chefs who have won high prizes in the Pho Day event, inviting all the villagers, students and teachers in the commune. It is expected that there will be 2,000 bowls of pho lovingly given to the villagers.
Participating in this year's Pho Yeu Thuong event are famous pho restaurants/shops, such as: Pho Thin Bo Ho (Hanoi), Pho 34 Cao Thang (HCMC), Pho S (Sam Ngoc Linh).
There is also the participation of two famous chefs in the culinary world such as Master chef Do Nguyen Hoang Long, "silver star anise" who specializes in cooking pho for family and friends to enjoy, Phan Quy Long.
In addition to the support of famous pho brands and chefs, Pho Yeu Thuong 2024 also received golden hearts of cash and in-kind support from HDBank, Greenfeed, Vietravel Airlines, An Nguyen Bao football team, Acecook, LC Foods, Yen Dao Can Gio, Saigon Cultural Corporation...
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/vi-pho-yeu-thuong-hom-nay-den-lang-nu-20241211094739982.htm
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