The world of Tzu Chi May-June 2022 (Vol.141)

2022 • 06 26 pecial Feature food. She thanked the volunteers for their patience and persistence, thus exposing her children to a plant-based diet. Lee Hui explained that it is not difficult to attract children to plant-based food. For example, a rainbow bento crafted from a variety of brightly-coloured vegetables will naturally appeal to them. When children eat happily and healthily, rest assured the parents will have peace-of-mind. She added, “We are pleased to learn that the children actually finished the food in their bento boxes. In encouraging them to embrace plant-based dishes, we are also educating them about gratitude, respect and love—to love the animals and respect life.” It is the volunteers’ hope for all participants to nurture the innate power of love and kindness through a simple act of adopting a plant-based diet. Beyond the bento box The healthy bento prepared with less salt and less oil is also suitable for the elderly. Thus, Lim Yuet Kiew from Shah Alam signed her daughter, father and herself up. She informed, “My father lives with my brother. He would just have milk, oats or bread for lunch when other family members are away at work or school. Occasionally, my sister-in- law would pack food for him, but only if she could find the time. Since my father has some kidney issues, we want him to eat healthily. That was why I signed him up.” In the past, Yuet Kiew would go home to have lunch with her children, who were schooling online, and get some rest during her one-hour break. For the BOL, she would instead pick up the bento from the collection point, pass one to her daughter, and head to her brother’s place to have lunch with her father. She appreciates the opportunity to spend more time with her father besides their weekly meeting of an hour over breakfast. She said, “I could imagine how lonely it had been for my father to have lunch all by himself in a big house. If I do not do something now, I would probably regret one day for not spending enough time with him. I am truly grateful for this opportunity; my father enjoyed the bento meals. I told my children that I would spend lunch time with their grandfather and be home with them for dinner.” Among the volunteers behind these wonderful bento lunches was Lim Geok Kim. Despite suffering from osteoarthritis of the knee, she willingly took up the responsibility of preparing bento for her community. She said with a smile, “No one cooks, so I cook. We used to promote vegetarianism verbally. Now I can do so in action, so I am happy to contribute.” Geok Kim set up a central kitchen at home to allow fellow volunteers to contribute together. She could relate to how non-vegetarians feel, as before she adopted a vegetarian diet, she had perceived vegetarianism as plates of leafy greens and only greens. Thus, she often used additional ingredients in her recipes to enhance the visual appeal and flavour. Her only wish is for more people to sign up for the BOL. She was totally dedicated to the BOL initiative, from managing purchasing of ingredients down to cooking. She also needed to have painkillers for her knee medically prescribed before the BOL kicked-started. Naturally, her husband, Yap Kim Hin, felt sorry for her. He provided his support by preparing