I always eat every last drop of my soup. Why? Because my dad always eats every last drop of his soup, and he would do that by adding more rice or bread or even tortilla chips to the bottom-of-the-bowl broth, to soak up every last drop.

Why? Perhaps because one time, while we were living in Vietnam, as he was leaving a phở restaurant, he looked back and saw a beggar (who had been waiting outside) drink the leftover broth from the customers’ bowls. And that image haunts him forever.

So that’s why I drink every last drop of my soup.