You have got to eat it, to beat it: That is 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 COVID-19 pandemic, chef Hoang Tung and his team now spend their days molding dozens of green-tea stained burger buns complete with little “crowns” made of dough to resemble microscopic images of the coronavirus.
“We have this joke that if you are scared of something, you should eat it,” Tung said at the Pizza Home takeaway shop in downtown Hanoi.
Photo: AFP
“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,” he said.
The shop has sold about 50 burgers a day, despite the growing numbers of businesses in Vietnam which have been forced to close because of the pandemic.
In the middle of last month, Vietnam said that all its known 16 COVID-19 cases had recovered, but that changed after an influx of overseas visitors and returning Vietnamese caused an uptick in cases.
There are now 148 recorded cases of the virus in Vietnam, but no reported deaths, Vietnamese Ministry of Health data showed.
Authorities in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have ordered all non-essential businesses to close, although some food outlets, including Tung’s shop, remain 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,” Quy said. “If you want to beat it, you’ve got to eat it first.”
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