What did you do before?
I started work when I was 15 as a construction worker in my hometown, Nakhon Ratchasima. I later had problems with my relatives and they kicked me out of the house. I packed my bag and followed my other relatives to work in Bangkok, then Songkhla and Satul. I ended up coming back to work in Bangkok at a cardboard box factory where I met my wife.

How did you become a lod chong seller?
It happened five years ago when my wife and I decided to quit our jobs because we just couldn’t earn a living making B165 a day. It’s a really small amount when trying to raise a child. I remembered that my mom used to sell lod chong back home so I asked her for the recipe and started making it with my wife.

What makes yours different from others?
Apart from my delicious coconut milk, I think it must be my stall which has a thatched roof made from nipa palm. I was inspired by the style of roofs in rural areas. It gives you a sense of nature which I always miss. It proved so popular at the beginning, people really loved it. They even hired me for the whole day for making merit events or office parties. I saved enough money to buy a secondhand motorcycle and then connected that to the stall, so getting around was easier. But, now it’s already been five years, so it’s not quite as exciting anymore, just enough for me to make a living.

How much do you earn?
I used to make more than a thousand baht profit a day, but I can’t make that now as the price of ingredients are higher, especially sugar and coconut. I have to pay about B1,100 for daily supplies. I buy ten kilos of sugar and ten kilos of coconuts, plus other supplies like straws, cups and ice. Now I can make about B700-B800 each day and divide the money between my family and my parents. Though I don’t make lots of money, I still love this job. It’s really independent, compared to working as a laborer or in a factory.

What was your worst experience at your previous jobs?
When I was a construction worker at Samut Prakan, I was installing some piping at a factory when some colleagues dropped some pipes onto a factory worker by accident and killed him. They were so angry, they surrounded us and didn’t let us get out. We were trapped all night. I was so scared. They had knives, bottles and sticks. I prayed to Lord Buddha and really missed my parents. Finally, our contractor called the police who managed to get us out.

What’s your ambition for the future?
Selling lod chong is OK but I dream of opening a noodle shop. My sister has a noodle store on Sukhumvit Road and I want to do that too. To open a shop like that you need lots of money, so I need time to save up and find a good location.