Snack seller finds new hope

A lthough Noy's family was poor, she seemed to be happy caring for six children, with another on the way. She didn't get discouraged as she struggled with all the problems life threw at her, because her breadwinner husband was always on hand to support her.

Using clean cooking oil is important for the appearance of the snacks.

“I was really fortunate in having a responsible husband who cared for his family and always went with me to the hospital for checkups. But, sadly, a serious intestinal condition took him from the world, leaving our six children and me to face the world without him,” says Noy, 36, with tears in her eyes.

It was a turning point in her life when her husband, who owned a small motorbike assembly unit, passed away, forcing her to take on the role of head of the household and the burden of responsibility.

Sharing their home in Phonesavanh village, Sisattanak district, Vientiane , Noy felt proud to be married to Min, a responsible man, who cared for her health and that of his children.

But unfortunuately, she ignored the stomach ache that her husband frequently complained of, thinking it was a minor problem. But it would prove fatal.

Although he lived another two years, Min's pain was unendurable, and he finally died in 2002.

As she organised her husband's funeral, many questions arose in her mind, and she wondered whether to go ahead with having her seventh child; she wasn't sure she could carry on without her husband.

“I thought about having an abortion, because I thought it would be too hard to bring up seven children without a husband,” she says. “But my mother reminded me that I had already brought up six children, and one more wouldn't be too difficult. Her advice is what convinced me to keep the baby.”

But further grief was to follow, as Noy was also to lose her teenaged nephew in 2006. At the time, he was living with Noy's family, and when he asked to borrow her motorbike, she felt she couldn't refuse.

“Of course I could never have predicted that he would have a terrible accident, and that we would lose him,” she says, adding that, even today, she feels responsible for his death.

Her sister blamed her for lending him the motorbike, as it was this act that led to his death. The accident made her life even bleaker, but she struggled through the months, finding strength to overcome her sadness.

At the time, Noy was working from early in the morning until late at night, and although she felt exhausted most of the time, it was her children who kept her going. She had realised, soon after her husband died, that selling car parts wasn't the right job for her, and instead sold fried bananas and sweet potatoes from the front of her house in Phonesavanh village.

Gradually, other shops became interested in what she was selling, and this was how she met the owner of Phimphone Minimarket, who took pity on her and gave her ideas on how to produce various types of deep-fried crispy fruits and vegetables.

“ I asked Noy what else she could make, other than fried bananas and potatoes,” recalls Ms Phimphone, who has experience in making fried snacks from fruit. “I introduced Noy to the process of making fried taro, cassavas, bananas and other fruits that are locally grown and that I sell at my shop. I emphasised that she should keep the oil clean while she fried, as this would ensure the best quality for fresh snacks.”

Phimphone Minimarket on Setthathirath Road in Chanthabouly district is well-known by locals and visitors for its wide range of goods, and anyone visiting there today can sample Noy's wide range of crisps made of potatoes, bananas and other locally grown produce.

“The high quality of Noy's snacks, combined with proper packaging, shows how determined she is to do the best for her family,” Ms Phimphone says, adding that Noy's face was once lined with worry about how to pay her children's school fees. Today, her face is clearer, and she no longer needs to dwell on such things, and she's now able to support her children and pay her daily expenses.

“I really appreciate the help I received from Ms Phimphone, because she has given me new hope. Lots of people were selling the same as me when I started out, but now I have the edge because of her good advice,” Noy says.

Ms Phimphone has plans to send Noy to attend a short course in Thailand , where she'll be able to broaden her skills.

By phonesavanh sangsomboun
Vientianetimes