Gulf Today

Hanoi chef spreads joy with ‘Coronaburg­er’

-

HANOI: You’ve got to eat it, to beat it: That’s the philosophy of one Hanoi chef who is attempting to boost morale in the Vietnamese capital by selling green, coronaviru­s-themed burgers.

Laughing in the face of the global pandemic, Chef Hoang Tung and his team now spend their days moulding dozens of green-tea stained burger buns complete with little “crowns” made of dough to resemble microscopi­c images of the virus.

“We have this joke that if you are scared of something, you should eat it,” said Tung, at the Pizza Home takeaway shop in downtown Hanoi.

“That’s why the coronaviru­s isn’t scary anymore after you eat a burger in the shape of the virus itself. That way of thinking spreads joy to others during this pandemic,” said Tung.

The shop has sold around 50 burgers a day, despite the growing numbers of businesses in Vietnam which have been forced to close because of the virus.

In mid-february, Vietnam said all known 16 COVID-19 cases at the time had recovered, but that changed after an influx of overseas visitors and returning Vietnamese citizens brought an uptick in cases.

There are now 148 recorded cases of the virus in Vietnam, but no reported deaths, according to the health ministry.

Authoritie­s in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have ordered that all non-essential businesses should close although some food outlets, including Tung’s takeaway shop, are still open.

Taking his grandson out for a Coronaburg­er, Dang Dinh Quy, 66, viewed the luminous green burger as a morale-boosting treat.

“This coronaviru­s is very dangerous. But if we eat a burger in its shape, in our minds its like we are already victorious,” said Quy.

“If you want to beat it, you’ve got to eat it first”. Meanwhile, Vietnam’s Finance Ministry said on Thursday it plans to offer a package of 80 trillion dong ($3.39 billion) to support businesses hard hit by the coronaviru­s.

The virus has left firms in Vietnam’s manufactur­ing industry suffering shortages due to supply chain disruption­s. Vietnamese exporters have also seen export contracts cancelled or delayed. The ministry’s offer will be in the form of delaying the collection of valueadded­tax,corporatei­ncometaxan­dlandrent for five months, it said in a statement on its website.

The package, which is subject to approval by the prime minister, is an extended version of a $1.16 billion plan the country announced early this month, according to the ministry.

 ??  ?? ↑
A coronaviru­s-themed burger is pictured at a restaurant in Hanoi.
Agence France-presse
↑ A coronaviru­s-themed burger is pictured at a restaurant in Hanoi. Agence France-presse

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Bahrain