While ‘red shirt’ anti-government protesters call for reforms to bridge the gap between the rich and poor, there are other less well-to-do people, who believe there is a better way to solve the problem: Having a dream and hard work.

For example, just off the Bangkok-Pattaya Motorway, about 60 kilometers southeast of Bangkok in the district of Phanat Nikhom is a small outdoor restaurant named “Ran Khao Tom Don Jalern, owned by 47-year-old Kloyjai and her husband Dej. 

Thai and royal yellow flags representing the country and Monarchy flutter in front of the restaurant and pictures of the King and Queen adorn the inside back wall.

On any given night, the restaurant is bustling with Thai and expatriate patrons, many who work for multinational giants such as Mitsubishi and Daikin in the neighboring Amata Industrial Estate.

“Business has been good, except for last year, when the economy slowed down,” lamented Kloyjai, as she wiped sweat from her brow from continuous cooking and serving.  “But still we have managed to work hard to make a decent living.”

Indeed, for the past 12 years since Kloyjai and her husband opened their restaurant, they have worked virtually every day, except around Songkran and the end of the year, when many of her customers leave for vacation.

In the beginning, as with most small businesses, life was tough and customers few.  But as people visited her restaurant and tasted her delicious food, they kept coming back, bringing their friends too.

“I don’t have any secrets of success,” said Kloyjai, who took over from her husband a few years ago and now runs the restaurant with three relatives, “except to work hard and fight for everything.”

At that moment, she interrupted our interview to scold a Pepsi salesman who has arrived late to fix a broken refrigerator unit.

“Like this,” she complained.  “I had to call him again and again all day to come.”

Klongjai was born and raised in Phanat Nikhom.  Her husband is from Isaan.  Before they met, married and started their restaurant, they were both rice farmers with no more than high school educations.

“We started from nothing,” said Dej.  “But to succeed in the restaurant business, you have to love what you do and know every detail of your job.  If your cook suddenly leaves, you better know how to cook,” he laughed.

When asked why she did not join the recent red shirt protests in Bangkok, Kloyjai replied, “I favor no color, I am neutral.  Besides, it is better to stand on my two feet and work.  I want to achieve my dream for my two kids – for each of them to have a house and a car.”

Has she achieved her dream yet?

“Almost,” she smiled.