Agreed with dolphin completely. Well said. And if your mind meanders off track, just gently bring the focus back again. Repeat as much as necessary. No need to blame oneself when incessant thinking mind reverts back to default monkey mode.

Like preparing for a marathon, our mind needs training as well. You don't suddenly decide to race the Boston after waking up one morning, nor become a meditation zen master overnight.

That goes beyond mindful eating of croissants, but also preparing them.

I'm assuming that "zen" extends to Igor's kitchen. The very act of kneading the dough can be envisioned as massaging the cosmos. The flour contain seeds of wheat nurtured by photon particles from the Sun, waters & soil nutrients of Earth. The wheat flour is the embodiment of elements spawned by cosmic supernova explosions. Not just microorganisms involved in the leavening of bread, but the smaller quanta wave particle interactions of energy packets. To make a sourdough from scratch, you must first invent the universe (rip Carl Sagan).

Even washing the baking pans afterwards can be synonymous to bathing the Buddha himself. Being tasked with something so precious, one can't afford to indulge in mental chatter and risk dropping the baby Buddha. Rather, being in the 'zone' like a free climbing mountaineer. Feel the weight of the pan. Passing it from one hand to the next. A symbolic gesture of altruistic giving. Feel the cold or lukewarm water caressing your skin. The scent of the detergent. The zen of dish-washing can be as blissful as eating or debating pain campagnard.

What are the fates of current and future stray dogs?

Right, I just found a short video clip:

www.ourplanet.com/en/video/how-to-save-the-mekong/

I believe Netflix's Our Planet featured the Mekong and the sustainable fisheries of the locals in one of its final episodes.

An image map of the Mekong river would be helpful for the laymen.