Ms. Thuy Thi Dao, 50
Traditional Vietnamese Cuisine Cook/Shopkeeper in Hanoi
Who cooks the food?
My servant helps me make the basic preparations, but I make the final decisions and safeguard the family’s secret ingredients.What are the ingredients besides the secret ingredients?
A kind of shellfish, like mussels, tomatoes, but the chili is the secret. The quality of the chili is what matters. This sauce has a salty taste. She has been doing it since her grandmother’s generation.Could you describe a typical working day?
I wake up at 5am, open the shop, and the first customer comes at 7:30am. I close the shop at 6pm.How much do you make? Is it a good amount?
Daily turnover is about 1,000,000 VND ($100) and about 50% of that is profit. That’s pretty good. Now the competition is increasing; many try to copy this cuisine. It’s very hard to keep making money. A bowl of rice is 7,000 VND (70 cents).Is there anything in particular you love or hate about this job?
My relatives are my helpers. She’s my right hand (points to the young girl)—and this is my left hand (points to the young boy). The girl is 23 and the boy is 20. I like my job because I can make money every day. A bad point is that it’s so hot. I earn enough money but I’ll never be a rich woman with this job, but just earn enough. This life is like a straight line—never goes up, but never goes down. Just steady. That’s good enough.Any plans for the future?
It’s hard to develop the shop. I’m getting old very quickly so I’m afraid my health won’t permit moving to a bigger location or develop new products. Normally a traditional job is passed on to the next generation, but I only have a son, and my daughter in-law doesn’t want this career because it’s very hot and it can’t compare with an office job, which is much easier. The young want something more comfortable. At first I didn’t consider following this career. I was the daughter in-law of the previous shopkeeper, and inherited this career from my mother in-law. I have no regrets about taking this job. I can have a better income, and better pension now.At what age will you retire?
If I reach the retirement age I will have a good pension. Now I work every day. I never have a day off.Do you eat this every day?
Yes, not because I sell it, but because I love it.the end