A Happy Afternoon Sponsored By The Loving Food Restaurant

The little children enjoy a Western meal while minding their manners. [Photo by reporter Chen Yi-Ling]

[Ilan] Fifty-three children from the Ilan Family Helpers program enjoyed a sumptuous meal at the Loving Food International Western Vegetarian Restaurant yesterday during a delightful afternoon for these youngsters from destitute families.

According to manager Zhou, the Loving Food Restaurant is founded on the ideal of "love" and expects to serve every customer delicious and nutritious food. Yesterday's feast was held in the hope of sharing some happy moments with the children from the Family Helpers program so they could experience the warmth of society in its brighter, more positive aspects despite the imperfections in their lives.

Under the guidance of bigger brother and sister volunteers, the children learned to dine with Western table manners, including using knives and forks . The youngsters were quickly transformed into young ladies and gentlemen. When someone did not hold the cutlery properly or made a noise with the plates, the children would burst out laughing. When the main course, vegetarian steak, was served, the children picked up the cutlery and ate it with careful attention to their newly learned manners. Some of the children even wanted some of the food packaged to take home for their mothers. Thus the happy afternoon went by amidst joy and laughter.

According to Family Helpers Director Lin, these children have rarely had a chance to eat out in Western restaurants. Most come from families with financial difficulties, and the busy parents have little spare time or money to take them to restaurants. The children were delighted to have this chance to enjoy a magnificent feast, which also turned out to be their first gift of the new school year.