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My restaurant's quite small.
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And I still cook outside.
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However, no one comes to Jay Fai's place
for the ambiance.
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00:00:39,414 --> 00:00:40,665
They come here for the taste.
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00:00:40,749 --> 00:00:43,334
They come because the food is delicious.
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00:00:58,683 --> 00:01:00,563
When people think of Bangkok,
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they may think of a hot, steamy city,
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full of tuktuks, and endless traffic.
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But above all,
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they think of street food.
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Street food is one of the most important
aspects of life in Bangkok.
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Street food is something
that people can talk over, discuss.
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00:01:24,459 --> 00:01:25,561
"This is my favorite place."
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"Oh, you're crazy.
That's my favorite place."
15
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Everyone can join in.
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00:01:31,257 --> 00:01:33,968
Always like a feeling,
like there's a party going on.
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00:01:37,222 --> 00:01:38,640
It's a kind of unifier.
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00:01:39,015 --> 00:01:42,477
One of the most democratic parts
of Thai life.
19
00:01:43,728 --> 00:01:47,524
And then a time when class lines
are getting more widened,
20
00:01:47,607 --> 00:01:50,902
and everyone's on their phone,
and kind of in their own world already.
21
00:01:50,985 --> 00:01:53,363
Street food is like
one of the few things left
22
00:01:53,446 --> 00:01:55,115
that glues people together.
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They want noodles on the way home,
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or, like, take away curry.
25
00:02:01,579 --> 00:02:02,956
But a couple of years ago,
26
00:02:03,039 --> 00:02:06,751
the government decreed
that street food would be restricted.
27
00:02:08,920 --> 00:02:13,341
They said the vendors were encroaching
on taxpayer's space,
28
00:02:13,633 --> 00:02:15,468
and called the vendors "leeches."
29
00:02:16,511 --> 00:02:20,265
But the vendors are there
because the people want them there.
30
00:02:21,391 --> 00:02:25,311
So, it's funny that, at the same time,
that government is trying to say,
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"Vendors are just these parasites
on society."
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There's somebody like Jay Fai.
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00:02:32,110 --> 00:02:35,196
Jay Fai is probably the most famous
street food chef in the world.
34
00:02:35,572 --> 00:02:37,490
And she has long been
the Queen of Street Food
35
00:02:37,574 --> 00:02:38,575
on the Thai scene.
36
00:02:39,325 --> 00:02:41,661
She takes these common street food dishes,
37
00:02:42,162 --> 00:02:45,748
and elevates them into something
that they weren't before.
38
00:02:46,541 --> 00:02:49,169
People line up to try her tom yum,
39
00:02:49,252 --> 00:02:50,378
drunken noodles,
40
00:02:50,461 --> 00:02:52,213
and, especially, crab omelette.
41
00:02:53,006 --> 00:02:55,925
In fact, she's known as
"The Omelette Lady" among some people.
42
00:02:58,887 --> 00:03:02,724
She's a 73-year-old woman
who manages to grind it out
43
00:03:02,807 --> 00:03:04,017
day after day.
44
00:03:05,768 --> 00:03:07,812
People are not doing her a favor
45
00:03:07,896 --> 00:03:10,190
by allowing her to take up the sidewalk.
46
00:03:12,192 --> 00:03:13,985
She is doing people a favor
47
00:03:14,068 --> 00:03:15,445
by cooking for them.
48
00:03:34,047 --> 00:03:36,633
Even as a kid,
49
00:03:36,716 --> 00:03:39,385
I wake up thinking about work.
50
00:03:42,180 --> 00:03:45,350
I'd do it every day if I could.
51
00:03:52,565 --> 00:03:58,279
Every day, I wake up
at 10:30 in the morning.
52
00:04:02,533 --> 00:04:08,373
My staff arrives around noon to help.
53
00:04:11,960 --> 00:04:15,672
I'm old, but I always remind them.
54
00:04:18,258 --> 00:04:20,260
"You may be younger, but I am stronger."
55
00:04:23,054 --> 00:04:26,474
By 2:30 in the afternoon,
I start preparing myself.
56
00:04:27,225 --> 00:04:29,602
When I walk into my station,
57
00:04:29,936 --> 00:04:33,064
I have to be focused.
58
00:04:39,320 --> 00:04:44,158
I am meticulous
about every dish that I serve.
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00:04:44,367 --> 00:04:47,120
Everything must be flawless.
60
00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:54,877
No matter how tired I am,
no matter what's going on,
61
00:04:54,961 --> 00:04:58,381
I cook every dish myself.
62
00:05:02,302 --> 00:05:04,220
I want it to be the best,
63
00:05:05,430 --> 00:05:07,932
because I'm not just a street cook...
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00:05:09,684 --> 00:05:11,144
I'm a chef.
65
00:05:30,997 --> 00:05:33,583
Bangkok is,
sort of, at the crossroads.
66
00:05:34,334 --> 00:05:35,710
It's poised
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00:05:35,918 --> 00:05:37,920
to become more modern.
68
00:05:38,796 --> 00:05:42,091
So, the city
is trying to clear the sidewalks.
69
00:05:43,718 --> 00:05:46,179
Street food vendors
in a lot of neighborhoods
70
00:05:46,304 --> 00:05:48,723
are getting told to move elsewhere.
71
00:05:50,975 --> 00:05:53,269
This is, kind of,
rupturing an ecosystem
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00:05:53,353 --> 00:05:55,897
that has been in place for decades.
73
00:06:05,198 --> 00:06:09,577
My older brother
was the first one to open a noodle stall
74
00:06:09,660 --> 00:06:12,872
on Sukhumvit 38 Road.
75
00:06:14,040 --> 00:06:18,419
Back then, over 30 years ago,
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00:06:18,920 --> 00:06:23,508
the place was surrounded by bars.
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00:06:23,633 --> 00:06:26,177
After the partygoers were finished
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00:06:26,260 --> 00:06:28,971
very late at night,
they would come to eat.
79
00:06:29,222 --> 00:06:31,349
We would sell until 4 or 5 in the morning.
80
00:06:32,642 --> 00:06:36,562
Last year,
the landlord suddenly shut us down.
81
00:06:41,109 --> 00:06:44,237
Most of our fellow vendors quit
and moved back to their hometowns.
82
00:06:45,446 --> 00:06:47,490
But our customers kept calling.
83
00:06:48,574 --> 00:06:50,410
"Hello, hello? Where are you?
84
00:06:50,493 --> 00:06:51,786
Will you start selling again?"
85
00:06:58,584 --> 00:07:02,922
My brother suggested reopening the stall
near my house, so it'd be convenient.
86
00:07:07,718 --> 00:07:11,139
Our customers missed us so much
that they took taxis just to see us.
87
00:07:17,311 --> 00:07:19,730
Noodles cost 60 baht,
while a taxi fare costs over 300 baht!
88
00:07:22,817 --> 00:07:24,652
They were so happy
to come out here and eat.
89
00:07:24,735 --> 00:07:25,895
We were so happy to see them.
90
00:07:27,363 --> 00:07:30,533
They used to serve
egg noodles with crab claw,
91
00:07:30,700 --> 00:07:32,869
but the new clientele
can't afford the crab.
92
00:07:33,161 --> 00:07:35,955
Now, it is deep-fried and barbecued pork.
93
00:07:37,290 --> 00:07:39,250
And the egg noodles
were silky and buttery,
94
00:07:39,792 --> 00:07:41,961
with wontons and greens,
95
00:07:42,044 --> 00:07:43,421
and it's still delicious.
96
00:07:45,131 --> 00:07:47,300
They would be considered the lucky ones.
97
00:07:47,467 --> 00:07:50,052
Their customers overcame
every possible obstacle
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00:07:50,344 --> 00:07:52,096
to get them to cook for them again.
99
00:08:06,611 --> 00:08:08,154
I grew up in a slum.
100
00:08:09,363 --> 00:08:11,866
In a bad neighborhood behind a market.
101
00:08:13,493 --> 00:08:16,746
Mom sold rice porridge
and chicken noodles at the market.
102
00:08:16,829 --> 00:08:18,164
She had to sell a lot of it.
103
00:08:21,501 --> 00:08:23,044
My dad was an opium addict.
104
00:08:24,170 --> 00:08:26,756
Sometimes he ran away.
We didn't know where he was.
105
00:08:27,590 --> 00:08:28,966
So I became a seamstress.
106
00:08:30,927 --> 00:08:34,430
I cut fabric all day, rolled them up,
and sewed dresses all night.
107
00:08:36,432 --> 00:08:39,060
I made sure we had food on the table.
108
00:08:41,687 --> 00:08:44,941
I spent ten years as a seamstress.
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00:08:46,317 --> 00:08:48,945
Time flew by when I did this sort of work.
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00:08:49,987 --> 00:08:51,322
I was content.
111
00:08:53,574 --> 00:08:56,118
However, one day,
I was sewing and cutting...
112
00:08:58,788 --> 00:09:02,750
Boom! A stairway near me collapsed.
113
00:09:03,125 --> 00:09:04,126
Fire erupted.
114
00:09:05,002 --> 00:09:06,921
Everyone shouted, "Run!"
115
00:09:09,173 --> 00:09:13,177
I ran outside, looked back
and everything was gone.
116
00:09:14,679 --> 00:09:16,806
I had nothing left.
117
00:09:32,280 --> 00:09:36,993
After everything burned down,
all I had were the pajamas on my back.
118
00:09:39,078 --> 00:09:44,542
My sewing machine and
my tools were all gone.
119
00:09:45,793 --> 00:09:47,336
I was in my twenties.
120
00:09:48,838 --> 00:09:50,423
I didn't know what to do.
121
00:10:39,680 --> 00:10:43,267
After that, I started watching
my mom sell noodles across the market.
122
00:10:47,146 --> 00:10:49,649
I helped her out back then.
123
00:10:49,732 --> 00:10:52,109
One day, I noticed how slowly she cooked
with my sister.
124
00:10:52,443 --> 00:10:56,113
There were only four or five customers
standing there, waiting for their food.
125
00:10:57,657 --> 00:10:59,075
I was frustrated.
126
00:11:01,494 --> 00:11:02,787
I told her I wanted to cook.
127
00:11:04,830 --> 00:11:05,990
She told me I couldn't do it.
128
00:11:09,669 --> 00:11:12,922
"Okay, you don't think I can do this?"
129
00:11:15,633 --> 00:11:18,302
That night, I grabbed the wok,
130
00:11:18,886 --> 00:11:20,471
I started stir-frying noodles.
131
00:11:22,056 --> 00:11:24,767
I practiced by myself every night,
ate that food every night.
132
00:11:25,309 --> 00:11:30,314
At one point, I poured oil into a wok
and forgot about it.
133
00:11:32,983 --> 00:11:35,319
When I saw the oil burning,
I dumped it all out.
134
00:11:38,114 --> 00:11:40,908
I got so mad,
I threw noodles into the pan,
135
00:11:41,075 --> 00:11:42,868
and stirred them furiously.
136
00:11:44,662 --> 00:11:47,164
The heat alone browned them nicely.
137
00:11:47,957 --> 00:11:49,208
I didn't need any oil.
138
00:11:52,545 --> 00:11:54,171
They had a wonderful taste and aroma.
139
00:11:55,798 --> 00:11:57,299
The next day,
140
00:11:58,384 --> 00:12:00,553
I asked Mom for her wok.
141
00:12:02,763 --> 00:12:04,473
She let me have it.
142
00:12:04,557 --> 00:12:05,557
It was all up to me.
143
00:12:08,436 --> 00:12:13,524
When I started to cook,
the customers saw I had talent.
144
00:12:15,443 --> 00:12:20,614
Right then, I began to see my path.
145
00:12:34,086 --> 00:12:35,856
- Are these my rice noodles?
- Yes.
146
00:12:35,880 --> 00:12:38,299
Weigh them again.
147
00:12:38,591 --> 00:12:41,135
I need one kilo. This is nearly two.
148
00:12:42,136 --> 00:12:44,847
These mushrooms are quite small.
149
00:12:44,930 --> 00:12:47,933
Just cut them into two pieces, not three.
150
00:12:52,438 --> 00:12:54,690
I love every dish that I cook.
151
00:12:57,568 --> 00:12:58,944
I have no preference or prejudice.
152
00:12:59,487 --> 00:13:01,697
You have to love them
to cook them properly,
153
00:13:01,781 --> 00:13:03,282
down to every little detail.
154
00:13:04,116 --> 00:13:05,743
Especially, tom yum.
155
00:13:07,870 --> 00:13:11,665
The stock must be rich and tasty,
that's very important.
156
00:13:13,250 --> 00:13:15,090
You start with lots of bones
to make the broth.
157
00:13:16,545 --> 00:13:18,255
And you just keep adding bones,
158
00:13:19,799 --> 00:13:22,968
bird's eye chilies, fish sauce,
and lime juice.
159
00:13:26,096 --> 00:13:28,599
Do you know how delicious it is?
160
00:13:32,770 --> 00:13:35,397
- Yes.
- Can you recommend another dish?
161
00:13:35,481 --> 00:13:39,235
What about drunken noodles or tom yum?
162
00:13:39,318 --> 00:13:41,237
All right.
Let's have tom yum, then.
163
00:13:41,320 --> 00:13:45,574
Tom yum is this wonderful mix
of fresh herbs and natural acidity,
164
00:13:47,076 --> 00:13:49,495
I feel like
you haven't really had Thai food
165
00:13:49,578 --> 00:13:51,038
until you've had tom yum
166
00:13:51,121 --> 00:13:53,582
because that's
the quintessential Thai dish.
167
00:13:55,334 --> 00:13:58,838
It's spicy, it's salty, it's tart.
168
00:13:58,921 --> 00:14:02,299
And Jay Fai's tom yum
is one of the best in Thailand.
169
00:14:03,008 --> 00:14:04,802
It's got fist-sized prawns,
170
00:14:04,885 --> 00:14:06,262
juicy cuttlefish,
171
00:14:06,595 --> 00:14:08,097
and it's pretty amazing.
172
00:14:09,139 --> 00:14:11,267
But what makes it quite different
173
00:14:11,350 --> 00:14:14,144
is that she doesn't just make
great tom yum soup,
174
00:14:14,228 --> 00:14:15,229
she goes even further.
175
00:14:16,230 --> 00:14:19,191
Jay Fai came out with dry tom yum,
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00:14:19,441 --> 00:14:21,944
which is basically the tom yum
without the broth,
177
00:14:22,027 --> 00:14:25,781
but with all the aromatics
infused with the tom yum flavor.
178
00:14:26,699 --> 00:14:31,036
The first time I had it was the first time
I went to Jay Fai and it blew my mind.
179
00:14:32,162 --> 00:14:33,664
It had never been done before.
180
00:14:34,415 --> 00:14:36,584
She takes food that you find
on every street corner
181
00:14:36,667 --> 00:14:40,129
and she makes it
into something really unique.
182
00:14:56,353 --> 00:14:58,673
Selling street food
is not that complicated.
183
00:15:00,816 --> 00:15:04,111
They're just out there
cooking late into the night.
184
00:15:05,404 --> 00:15:08,949
Just like me when I didn't have
a permanent shophouse.
185
00:15:10,534 --> 00:15:15,080
By the time I was in my 30s,
I was responsible for my whole family.
186
00:15:18,250 --> 00:15:20,377
I was right on the street.
187
00:15:24,006 --> 00:15:27,718
Chicken noodles, that's all I sold.
188
00:15:29,845 --> 00:15:30,971
We cooked a lot.
189
00:15:31,055 --> 00:15:34,558
Sometimes I cooked until 4:00 or 5:00 a.m.
and went to bed at dawn.
190
00:15:37,770 --> 00:15:41,023
Life was very hard.
191
00:15:44,109 --> 00:15:46,737
I had to put all my tables out
on the sidewalk.
192
00:15:47,905 --> 00:15:51,492
Sometimes, the authorities
would chase us off.
193
00:15:52,076 --> 00:15:54,787
On nights when it rained
194
00:15:54,870 --> 00:15:58,457
or when didn't let us put out tables,
195
00:15:58,540 --> 00:15:59,792
we were doomed.
196
00:16:04,505 --> 00:16:09,385
I was trying hard to make money,
but I was facing a dead end.
197
00:16:12,179 --> 00:16:15,015
I realized I had to do something.
198
00:16:20,270 --> 00:16:21,855
So, I took a risk.
199
00:16:25,192 --> 00:16:26,819
I borrowed some money,
200
00:16:28,612 --> 00:16:30,280
and bought some prawns.
201
00:16:31,490 --> 00:16:33,784
Very fresh tiger prawns.
202
00:16:34,493 --> 00:16:36,328
I set the price at 120 baht.
203
00:16:37,496 --> 00:16:40,165
One guy said, "Oh, it's just pad thai."
204
00:16:41,625 --> 00:16:43,544
I told him, "The prawns
are totally different."
205
00:16:44,294 --> 00:16:48,173
Don't compare them to anyone else's.
206
00:16:50,926 --> 00:16:52,761
He ate them once.
207
00:16:52,845 --> 00:16:56,724
And when he kept coming back,
he never ordered chicken again.
208
00:16:58,517 --> 00:17:01,353
I knew the dish was a success.
209
00:17:03,313 --> 00:17:07,651
I started to look into expensive things
like seafood.
210
00:17:09,028 --> 00:17:11,905
Higher quality ingredients
meant higher prices.
211
00:17:13,574 --> 00:17:16,660
That's how I got the money
to rent my shophouse.
212
00:17:17,411 --> 00:17:18,412
That's it.
213
00:17:28,172 --> 00:17:30,674
In Bangkok, curry is essential.
214
00:17:31,258 --> 00:17:32,259
It's a staple.
215
00:17:33,093 --> 00:17:37,347
It's something
that everybody has their own recipe for.
216
00:17:40,726 --> 00:17:42,566
Out on the street,
everyone's eating it.
217
00:17:42,978 --> 00:17:44,855
And it's like the perfect comfort food.
218
00:17:46,065 --> 00:17:47,608
No matter where we go,
219
00:17:47,983 --> 00:17:49,276
the journey begins with curry.
220
00:18:02,873 --> 00:18:04,917
Jek Pui was my father.
221
00:18:07,920 --> 00:18:11,340
He learned how to make curry
when he came here from China.
222
00:18:12,382 --> 00:18:14,218
After my father learned how to cook curry,
223
00:18:14,343 --> 00:18:17,638
his relatives told him to bring his family
to Thailand and start a new life.
224
00:18:18,639 --> 00:18:21,100
We've been here for over 70 years.
225
00:18:22,601 --> 00:18:24,436
He worked hard developing his recipe.
226
00:18:25,354 --> 00:18:28,190
Sometimes he got it right,
sometimes wrong,
227
00:18:28,899 --> 00:18:31,026
At 13, I started helping him out.
228
00:18:34,113 --> 00:18:38,534
My father only sold pork and beef curries.
229
00:18:40,661 --> 00:18:42,788
I created our other dishes myself.
230
00:18:47,501 --> 00:18:50,045
We've added green curry
with meatballs or chicken,
231
00:18:50,129 --> 00:18:51,672
and pork Panang.
232
00:18:53,298 --> 00:18:56,677
If customers loved them,
that meant the recipes were right.
233
00:18:58,178 --> 00:19:02,391
Jek Pui makes
a really comforting, mild curry.
234
00:19:02,558 --> 00:19:05,310
It has garlic, shallots, chili.
235
00:19:06,520 --> 00:19:10,232
Very few people make it
from scratch anymore
236
00:19:10,315 --> 00:19:12,317
because it is labor intensive.
237
00:19:22,369 --> 00:19:25,330
That cart, it's a really important part
of the community.
238
00:19:25,581 --> 00:19:29,626
There's usually a line of people
sitting on red stools,
239
00:19:29,710 --> 00:19:32,546
with these bowls of rice and curry
240
00:19:32,629 --> 00:19:35,549
perched precariously on their lap.
241
00:19:37,176 --> 00:19:39,469
For everyone
who lives in the neighborhood,
242
00:19:39,845 --> 00:19:41,847
Jek Pui makes people think of childhood.
243
00:19:44,975 --> 00:19:47,269
Everyone loves that curry on the corner.
244
00:20:05,579 --> 00:20:07,699
Back when I moved
into my restaurant...
245
00:20:08,624 --> 00:20:12,336
I still called myself a street cook.
246
00:20:13,629 --> 00:20:14,949
I opened my shop in the evenings.
247
00:20:17,758 --> 00:20:21,970
My customers came from bars
and gambling joints.
248
00:20:23,347 --> 00:20:25,474
The ones who really loved to eat
249
00:20:25,557 --> 00:20:27,643
would gather around to watch me cook.
250
00:20:31,063 --> 00:20:32,648
I saw an opportunity.
251
00:20:33,607 --> 00:20:36,860
Anyone could stir-fry pad thai,
252
00:20:40,572 --> 00:20:42,449
I wanted to do something great.
253
00:20:44,409 --> 00:20:46,119
I’d like to cook crab omelettes,
254
00:20:46,954 --> 00:20:53,043
but with that dish,
I wanted to make something different, too.
255
00:20:54,670 --> 00:20:58,340
So, I taught myself
to make Japanese omelettes.
256
00:20:59,925 --> 00:21:02,886
I added a lot of crabs, nearly a pound.
257
00:21:05,264 --> 00:21:08,600
I flattened and rolled them.
258
00:21:10,352 --> 00:21:12,437
When I took my first bite, oh!
259
00:21:14,064 --> 00:21:17,317
Oh, it was so beautiful. I'd done it.
260
00:21:18,068 --> 00:21:21,613
Now, I had something special to sell.
261
00:21:25,492 --> 00:21:29,329
The people are surprised by
how important omelettes are to Thai food,
262
00:21:29,413 --> 00:21:30,747
but it's a staple dish.
263
00:21:31,832 --> 00:21:35,669
Jay Fai makes it into something that is
264
00:21:35,752 --> 00:21:38,839
fantastic and expensive.
265
00:21:39,131 --> 00:21:43,510
With technique,
the woks are volcanically hot.
266
00:21:44,678 --> 00:21:47,222
So, if the omelettes are really light,
267
00:21:48,015 --> 00:21:50,309
stuffed, full to bursting
268
00:21:50,434 --> 00:21:52,311
with chunks of crab meat.
269
00:21:53,729 --> 00:21:56,481
People started to talk
about my food. They're coming by.
270
00:21:56,565 --> 00:22:00,652
The gambling houses started calling
in lots of orders, dozens at once.
271
00:22:01,695 --> 00:22:04,114
We're serving so many omelettes,
272
00:22:05,032 --> 00:22:08,744
sometimes we ran out of eggs.
273
00:22:21,131 --> 00:22:23,091
Is Khun Da here?
274
00:22:23,383 --> 00:22:24,760
Please come in.
275
00:22:26,553 --> 00:22:31,058
From that point on,
I started to build a whole new menu.
276
00:22:37,105 --> 00:22:39,524
New dishes just came to me.
277
00:22:42,444 --> 00:22:44,529
Big shots and politicians
started to turn up.
278
00:22:45,947 --> 00:22:47,324
They would ask for special things.
279
00:22:51,203 --> 00:22:53,497
There are definitely
over a hundred dishes.
280
00:22:53,580 --> 00:22:55,582
We have a lot on the menu.
281
00:23:01,088 --> 00:23:04,549
I'm proud of my boldness
and I never regretted it.
282
00:23:27,948 --> 00:23:29,950
At some point,
she became known
283
00:23:30,033 --> 00:23:32,411
as the best street food cook in the city.
284
00:23:34,830 --> 00:23:39,459
She created destination food
from common dishes.
285
00:24:06,445 --> 00:24:09,906
For 40 years,
I worked almost every day.
286
00:24:12,742 --> 00:24:14,494
And then, one day, I got a call.
287
00:24:16,246 --> 00:24:18,206
Somebody was hosting a gala dinner.
288
00:24:19,332 --> 00:24:21,293
I don't like to close my restaurant
for anything.
289
00:24:21,877 --> 00:24:23,795
But I took the day off for the party.
290
00:24:27,132 --> 00:24:30,302
All of a sudden, my daughter said,
"Mom, they called your name."
291
00:24:32,304 --> 00:24:33,744
I won the award.
292
00:24:34,222 --> 00:24:36,141
The Michelin star.
293
00:24:37,642 --> 00:24:39,978
Right then,
it seemed like I couldn't breathe.
294
00:24:42,189 --> 00:24:45,400
I was happy. The happiest.
295
00:24:47,402 --> 00:24:48,445
The next day,
296
00:24:49,196 --> 00:24:51,239
there was a big crowd
in front of my restaurant.
297
00:24:53,533 --> 00:24:56,661
Everyone wanted to take my picture.
298
00:25:02,709 --> 00:25:04,252
People had to start reserving tables.
299
00:25:06,421 --> 00:25:09,758
My daughter quit her job
to help me manage it all.
300
00:25:14,346 --> 00:25:15,531
She didn't need the star.
301
00:25:15,555 --> 00:25:16,932
She knew herself
302
00:25:17,265 --> 00:25:19,184
that her food was the best.
303
00:25:20,352 --> 00:25:22,896
The Michelin Star
showed the rest of the world
304
00:25:23,271 --> 00:25:25,357
what a great, wonderful chef she was.
305
00:25:28,652 --> 00:25:32,489
When chefs started coming
to my shop to eat, they called me "Chef."
306
00:25:36,576 --> 00:25:38,537
Wow, I am a chef. Me?
307
00:25:41,122 --> 00:25:43,542
I can't describe how proud I was.
308
00:25:46,628 --> 00:25:49,381
Jay Fai represents a possible outcome
309
00:25:49,464 --> 00:25:50,632
for some street food vendors.
310
00:25:51,091 --> 00:25:52,342
If you're good enough,
311
00:25:52,467 --> 00:25:55,929
you can bring people to your place,
on your terms.
312
00:25:57,847 --> 00:25:58,765
That success
313
00:25:58,848 --> 00:26:03,937
surprised the government
because they continuously underplay
314
00:26:04,020 --> 00:26:05,480
how important street food is.
315
00:26:05,564 --> 00:26:07,357
Not just to Thai people,
316
00:26:07,440 --> 00:26:09,234
but in Thailand's image.
317
00:26:12,529 --> 00:26:14,322
Street food is for everyone.
318
00:26:15,740 --> 00:26:17,951
Something purely Thai,
319
00:26:18,326 --> 00:26:20,787
purely Bangkok, and purely our own.
320
00:26:32,173 --> 00:26:34,092
Put the bigger chunks in here.
321
00:26:34,175 --> 00:26:35,885
Don't torture the customers.
322
00:26:43,893 --> 00:26:46,104
I've been cooking for a long time.
323
00:26:50,108 --> 00:26:52,193
Whenever anyone asks, I say I'm not tired.
324
00:26:56,990 --> 00:26:58,617
I know my strength.
325
00:27:01,578 --> 00:27:07,709
I have faith in charcoal fires
and iron woks.
326
00:27:13,131 --> 00:27:14,507
They taught me to be clever.
327
00:27:18,595 --> 00:27:19,929
They taught me to be brave.
328
00:27:23,516 --> 00:27:25,810
So, if I still have the strength,
I will continue cooking.
329
00:27:31,441 --> 00:27:32,859
This is me.
330
00:29:27,640 --> 00:29:29,642
Subtitle translation by
Chanamporn Ngoensrisit
25777
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