She is 'Arsim' (Grandma) Tongyim Jiarasatit, and when she sailed
from China to Thailand as a World War 2 refugee she had nothing more than
a folded cloth for a pillow, one blouse and one skirt. Now she has the
biggest - and many say the best - Chinese restaurant in Chiangmai and never,
ever, takes a day off.
At
16, Tongyim helped care for 3 brothers and sisters and her mother, widowed
by the war in Suatao. All were invited to Chiangmai in 1946 by a distant
relation, but only she accepted the challenge.
"You are a woman. Please be good and have only one husband - and
be grateful to anyone who helps you" was her mother's parting advice.
Seven days by boat and the young woman stepped into the unknown, Bangkok,
where she stayed for 27 days before taking the train to Chiangmai. The
journey took 21 hours and she was met, as promised, by the owner of Viriya
electrical goods shop, Thapae Road.
Four days later she found herself taking care of the owner's 5 children
in nearby Sarapee. There she formed a close bond with the grandmother of
the family and by the age of 26 was back in Chiangmai caring for her. One
day a fellow Chinese refugee named Prem Saejia, aged 28, came to propose
to her and soon they were running a tiny stall together, selling soyabean
milk in the morning and crushed ice with syrup in the hot afternoons. (Now
that she can choose to do any job at Gia Tong Heng, you will always find
Tongyim preparing desserts!). The first of her 3 children arrived and in
the evenings she would do the laundry - and that of 5 other mothers to
earn an extra 40b a day.
In 1957 Nawarat Market was opened and the little family moved to sell
noodles and coffee at a stall rented for 8 baht a day. Twenty years on,
they moved again to a double shophouse and extended the menu to include
different types of soup. One day their supplier of chickens asked if they
would like to buy some land, 10 rai for 150,000b. Tongyim saw its potential
immediately and within days had bargained the price down to 100,000b. But
their savings were way below that figure, so she plucked up courage and
went to a bank. "When the bank agreed immediately to the loan, that
was the first time I realised that we were becoming successful" she
smiles. Two years later the land sold for 600,000b!
When the block in Sidornchai Road which now houses Gia Tong Heng was
finished, Tongyim and her husband were the first occupants, paying the
owners as and when they could afford. "There was no contract - just
trust and honesty" she recalls simply. Within 4 years the building
was bought - plus more land behind where you now find the air-conditioned
section and spacious car park. And of course there was again a warm welcome
at the bank when Tongyim applied for 3 million baht to extend and fit out
the sophisticated restaurant you see today.
There is nothing Grandma likes better than to chat - in Thai
or Chinese - to the countless customers whose faces she memorises so well.
But not while they are eating. Good food is far too important!
At
16, Tongyim helped care for 3 brothers and sisters and her mother, widowed
by the war in Suatao. All were invited to Chiangmai in 1946 by a distant
relation, but only she accepted the challenge.
Wiyada
Kantarod
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