We sit in silence a few more moments as there is no need to talk further; it is the right place to end. There is more I want to know but we had revisited enough of the horror for one day. As I stood up to thank Bác Dzũng for sharing his story, I wished I could tell him how I finally understood that Father’s prophecy would never be fulfilled.

The sporadic attempts by chefs and food writers making the case for offal are unconvincing, as what these advocates don’t appreciate is the answer probably lies in taking a more intercultural approach, drawing direct inspiration from other food cultures. It’s wasted effort to create hip new ways of making offal delicious, given there are already so many ways of preparing it that continue to work well.

A modern-day sugar tax is not about punishing a particular group and has a far more utilitarian basis. The concept of it is based on its function as a disincentive to change a set of unhealthy behaviours. Paternalism is often widely applauded – like compulsory minimum education, vaccination, drivers wearing seatbelts. Such laws are not immune to critique, nor should they be, but that’s ultimately how societies like ours can move along in roughly the right direction.