17.SOCIETY chinadaily. com. cn
2021﹣10﹣26 08:00
Heal with Meals
A 35-year-old man, Hao Shuai, in Chongging who plans to invite 10, 000 strangers to his home for dinner within 10 years has grabbed attention recently. Hao Shuai launched the project in January and has hosted free dinners in his downtown apartment in Chongging's Yubei district. Bon in a village in the district in 1986, Hao was raised with a natural love for food — His father was a chef, and his mother ran a food stall for more than 30 years. Hao said he felt depressed in the city where people seem to be moving fast and have lost the link with each other, "I decided a dinner table would do. "Hao said, adding that any sincere stranger willing to participate (参与) can sign up for dinner via the official WeChat account "Hao Shuai's Kitchen".
▲Hao Shuai has so far invited more than 1, 600 people for dinner since January. Photo provided to chinadaily. com. cn
To make it fun and interactive, he requires the participants to bring a dish, buy groceries, cook or wash dishes. He will cook three to five dishes, mostly Sichuan cuisines. "Thanks to a chef rotation mechanism (轮值做饭) , authentic Shaanxi, Taiwan and Greece cuisines have come out of my kitchen, cooked by friends from all over the world. " he said to Chongqing Evening News.
"Whenever I'm unhappy. I plunge myself into the kitchen, " said Hao, adding that he came up with the idea when he was at his worst. In 2020. Hao's failure at business resulted in a loss of more than 1 million yuan ($155, 400). He recalls his kitchen has seen many people crying. And he realized that he was not the most unfortunate. He pronounced nothing could make him feel better than sharing stores and eating up delicious food, "And if possible, we get like-minded friends. I felt the kindness of strangers and the beauty of life when a group of interesting souls gathered," said Liu Jan, a hotpot restaurant chef, who joined in Hao Shuai's Kitchen in April.
Hao hopes to link participants from all walks of life in a mutual-aid community, to offer help and warmth, and is considering to host a story — sharing event. "Those touching inspiring life stories could heal a lot of people." he said.