AYUTTHAYA - Srinual Aree is like any ordinary noodle soup seller, except for one thing: she is cooking the food that she sells without seeing it.
Srinual Aree cooks noodle soup for students and teachers from the local school at her house in Uthai district of Ayutthaya province. (Photo by Sunthong Pongpao)
The 62-year-old blind woman has been using her house next to Wat Ban Khoa school in Ayutthaya's Uthai district as a noodle shop catering to teachers and students from Monday to Friday for the past four months.
"I don't want to be a burden for my family," she said.
Mrs Srinual was born with healthy eyesight but developed visual impairment due to macula degeneration in later life. She underwent medical treatment at Rajavithi Hospital in Bangkok, but became completely blind 14 years ago.
"At first I was depressed but my four daughters and sons are the ones who give me all moral support," she said.
Mrs Srinual used to cook noodle soup for Buddhist worshippers and monks at Wat Sena Nimit before she became totally blind. Four months ago she decided that she wanted to use her skills to make a new career for herself.
She consulted her sons and daughters and decided to set up a noodle shop at her house to serve teachers and students from the school next door.
"I can make some profits from selling kuay thiew for 15 baht a bowl,'' she said.
Mrs Srinual explained that she had to spend hours practising slicing meat and making soup, to help her get used to it again, adding that the key to her success is making sure all the ingredients for the soup are kept in the right place.
Every morning she goes to Pachi fresh market with her cousins to buy ingredients for the day, before returning home to prepare them before customers arrive.
Duangtham Kijthaworn, a teacher at the school who is a frequent customer, praised Mrs Srinual's noodle soup and invited her to set up a shop in the school canteen for free, to show the school's appreciation for her determination not to give up on life, despite her disability.
But Mrs Srinual said she did not want any special treatment, the teacher recalled.