Vietnam chef fights Covid-19 fears with ‘Coronaburgers’

Hanoi, March 27 (IANS): A Vietnamese chef has created a coronavirus-shaped burger to help clients cope with the fear and uncertainty the infectious disease has caused.

“The economy is really down. Since January I had to close four of my restaurants… So last week I thought of making something that helps sell more and cheer (people) up,” chef Hoang Tung, founder of the Pizza Home restaurants in Hanoi, told Efe news over the phone.

Whilst watching the film “Monsters, Inc.” with his son, Tung thought that one of the main characters, Mike Wazowski, was shaped like the virus, but that didn’t stop him from finding him nice and pleasant.

That is when the chef thought of creating a burger shaped like the virus using green-tea buns.

“I talked to my chefs and in one day we made the recipe,” he said.

“When I sold the first Coronaburger, I posted the photo on my Facebook (account) and after a few minutes we already had 50 orders. It’s big news in these depressing times,” the chef said.

From that moment, sales have gone up and Tung has endorsed the motto one of his clients suggested: “If you are scared of the coronavirus, eat a Coronaburger.”

Despite great exposure to Covid-19 due to the country’s links with China, Vietnam has managed to contain the outbreak in the country with strong preventive measures that has seen 148 cases of coronavirus, 17 cured and no fatalities.

Vietnam closed its schools in early February and was one of the first countries to suspend flights from risk areas and impose quarantines.

This week, authorities in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi ordered the closure of all non-essential businesses, so restaurants like Tung’s can only do home deliveries.