Food is of paramount importance to the people. How to provide elderly people with delicious and affordable meals is a necessary question to improve the level of elderly care services. At present, there are still some difficulties in rural elderly care meal assistance services. Many elderly people in rural areas have relatively low and unstable incomes, with limited ability to pay; In some areas, elderly people live in relatively scattered areas, which is not conducive to centralized feeding and results in higher delivery service costs; In some areas, the concept of elderly people purchasing elderly care services is lacking, and the market-oriented operation of elderly care services is difficult. From a supply perspective, rural elderly meal assistance services still face significant funding gaps, difficulties in popularizing meal delivery services, and inadequate meal assistance infrastructure. The small rice bowl contains the daily necessities of life. In October 2023, the Ministry of Civil Affairs and 11 other departments jointly issued the "Action Plan for Actively Developing Elderly Meal Assistance Services", which requires actively building a network of elderly meal assistance services that covers urban and rural areas, has a reasonable layout, and is jointly built and shared, promoting the convenient, affordable, safe, reliable, and sustainable development of elderly meal assistance services. The issue of rural elderly care meals requires attention to affordability and quality of food, as well as addressing issues such as orderliness and long-term effectiveness. Firstly, it is necessary to strengthen the "basic guarantee" ability of rural elderly care meal assistance services. For example, in the rural meal assistance work of Yancheng City, Jiangsu Province, special attention is paid to the elderly population in special difficulties. The elderly population who have been relocated throughout the town are centrally resettled in the neighborhood mutual aid points, and meal subsidies are provided. At the same time, self grown fruits and vegetables are allowed to offset meal expenses; Working together to provide assistance to low-income elderly groups who meet the criteria, renovating and improving cooking facilities and dining environments; With the assistance of local elites, we have donated money and goods to support meals and established a "Elderly Meal Replacement Special Fund" to provide low-cost meal assistance services for the elderly. By establishing a diversified financing mechanism of "individuals contribute a little, enterprises give a little, governments supplement a little, collectives contribute a little, and society donates a little", we can ensure the stability and sustainability of elderly meal assistance services. Secondly, we need to enhance the "diversified" supply of rural elderly care meal assistance services. Currently, there are differences in the demand for elderly meal assistance services among rural elderly people, therefore, the supply needs to adapt to changes in demand. For example, the feeding method should be adjusted according to the actual situation. Currently, elderly canteens are generally set up in communities or villages, or elderly meal assistance is provided by relying on village level neighborly mutual aid points, rural happy homes, etc. with conditions; But for villages with large areas and scattered villagers' residences, local residents need to distribute meals to designated locations for elderly people to pick up on their own; For basic elderly care service recipients with limited mobility and no one to pick up meals at home, if there is a genuine need assessed by the street or township, the government needs to purchase services and deliver meals to their homes through staff or volunteers. Diversified supply is not only for the sake of "eating well", but also for the sake of "eating well". We cannot adopt a "one size fits all" approach in meal matching. The meals for the elderly should not only focus on balanced nutrition, but also gradually cover disabled elderly people with chewing and swallowing difficulties, ethnic minorities, and other elderly people with specific dietary habits. Finally, it is necessary to explore the "sustainable" path of rural elderly care meal assistance services. Who will serve "is a major challenge in setting up elderly dining tables in rural areas. At present, the labor cost in rural areas is about 80-120 yuan per day. Each elderly canteen is staffed by three service personnel, and the cost of individual labor is a significant expense. In Rongcheng City, Shandong Province, the local rural credit management measures have been optimized, and volunteers who participate in the "Warm hearted Canteen" will be given double credit points for environmental improvement; For those who participate in the "heartwarming canteen" on a regular basis, rewards will be given "point-to-point" to mobilize the enthusiasm of the masses to participate and form a new trend of neighborhood watch and elderly assistance. Elderly meal assistance is not just about meals. While solving the problem of elderly people's difficulty in dining, platforms for interaction and communication among the elderly should be built using platforms such as senior canteens, and various types of elderly care services should be provided. For example, in Fengxian District, Shanghai, based on the characteristics of being "far away, scattered, and weak" in the suburbs and the actual needs of farmers, we are exploring a "four hall" neighborly elderly care service model characterized by village autonomy. We fully utilize the idle houses of villagers and provide "four hall" services such as "dining halls, guest halls, schools, and halls" for elderly people living alone, elderly people, and those in difficulty through aging friendly infrastructure renovation. The mechanism is led by the government, sponsored by society, responsible by village committees, and voluntary by the elderly. By establishing a supply pattern of rural elderly care and meal assistance services where the government, society, and families fulfill their respective responsibilities and coordinate in an orderly manner, we continuously strengthen our sustainable development capabilities and steadily safeguard the "happiness on the tongue" of rural elderly people. (New Press) (The author is a professor at the School of Public Administration, Beihang University)