Brianna Cea and Napat Snidvongs

[00:02] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Go. Hey, I'm Napat And do I just read out this. 41 years old. And today is the 11 November 2023, Woodside. And I'm talking to Bri and we just met.

[00:21] BRIANNA CEA: Yeah. New friends. Hi, I'm Bri. I'm 26 years old. Today's date. Date is November 11, 2023. We are at the temple in Woodside, Elmhurst, and yeah, with my new friend, Napat So, Napat thank you so much for doing this with us. As you know, we've been out here, like, talking to so many amazing community members about the broader thai community and, like, little Thailand. And so I know your family owns a three aunties, right?

[00:53] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Yes.

[00:53] BRIANNA CEA: Awesome. I love the. I go there all the time to get. Pick. Mostly pick up rice and mama noodles. Not gonna lie, but something very basic when I go there. But tell me more about, like, the family business, how maybe it started and maybe what is some of your earliest memories with the grocery store?

[01:11] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: It was like around 2017, I believe. My mom. So my mom, she's like a businesswoman, and she's always been doing business. And as soon as we moved from Thailand to New York around 2006, 2007, she started doing just a lot of small businesses, and some didn't make it. And eventually she ended up doing this. She started selling things on Amazon and. Which went pretty well, so she was able to pay her rent and things with this. And one day she met two other aunties.

[01:53] BRIANNA CEA: I love that. Is that why? It's what we call three aunties.

[01:57] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: And it's one of the aunties, she's like a retired nurse. And she said that, you know, senior citizen, she's doing her, like, visiting friends. She just had nothing to do after she's got bored, you know. So she said, why not rent, like, a small place where she would just stay there and her friends can stop by. Right?

[02:19] BRIANNA CEA: Yeah.

[02:19] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: And say, and while at it, why not just sell groceries?

[02:23] BRIANNA CEA: Right, right.

[02:24] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Sell cheap groceries for people.

[02:26] BRIANNA CEA: Oh, that's so cool. So. And like, how did. How did they meet? How did your mom meet the other two aunties?

[02:31] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: It's. I think one. There are like three aunties. So this is my mom, this Auntie yacht. She's. She's the maintainous auntie. And Auntie C, she's like, in one of the restaurants. Auntie, she owns a lot of restaurants, I think.

[02:48] BRIANNA CEA: Gotcha.

[02:49] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: And so the other auntie was working in her kitchen, I think.

[02:55] BRIANNA CEA: Oh, cool. Do you know by any chance why they chose you mentioned they wanted a little store, right. To sell groceries. Do you know why they chose the location? They chose or it was just like.

[03:07] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: It was just. It used to be a grocery store before it was, but it never really take off. You know, it was just there. And so when they went in, it was kind of very slow at first. And I think, unfortunately, paha means Auntie. Right. So she passed away, like, the first year.

[03:32] BRIANNA CEA: Oh, wow.

[03:33] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: And the other auntie, she kind of got stuck in Thailand with the immigration problems.

[03:39] BRIANNA CEA: Yeah.

[03:40] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: And so there's only my mom left.

[03:42] BRIANNA CEA: Wow.

[03:42] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: And so, yeah, after that, she kind of doing her things and it starts to catch on, I guess.

[03:50] BRIANNA CEA: And with your mom now being the main auntie during that time, like, were you helping her in the store? Were you still, like, pretty young? Did your mom ever put you to work in the grocery store?

[04:04] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Every day.

[04:05] BRIANNA CEA: Every day. What type of things did she make you help with?

[04:09] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Well, usually I have a brother, so it's two of us, and we have our full time job, so we do something like, we would just stop by after work to help with carrying things. And I set up a website. The thing is that my mom, she's a very good shopper. Right. And thai people, they're very conservative when it comes to, like, venturing into a new business territory. But my mom, she's used to shopping online, and she was just thinking, like, how come there's no thai products online and everything? If you want thai products in those days, like, ten years ago, it was so difficult because you have to actually call them, you know, and a lot of them, they don't really feel comfortable shipping things out. Right, right.

[04:59] BRIANNA CEA: So did y'all incorporate, like, the website and, like, e commerce? Yeah, pretty much like ten years ago, yeah. Oh, wow, that's amazing.

[05:08] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Yeah, I think that's. That was kind of, like, the advantage that three aunties had.

[05:13] BRIANNA CEA: Yeah, I think so, too. My mom also used to shop at three aunties. That's how, actually, the store I used to go. I'm not sure if it was. Well, I was definitely young, too, when we went to three aunties, when your mom took over, but I'm pretty sure we also were going before with his owners. So my mom told me even stories of when she used to go to that grocery store because it's across the street from another famous, you know, Thai restaurant.

[05:37] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Right.

[05:37] BRIANNA CEA: That my mom, apparently my mom used to play. She used to skip class a lot when she was a student, and so she would, like, always hang out on that street with her friends and then get yelled at by the aunties to go to school.

[05:50] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: She. She went to. She live around here?

[05:52] BRIANNA CEA: Yeah, my mom. Yes. I think my grandmother, she owned a business around here, so not too far from the grocery store. But my mom lived in Sunnyside, so not too far from Woodside. But she told me about the grocery store. And, like, when we would come visit this area, she would stop by usually to pick up something. But she mentioned, like, the fact that the store had, like, the website, and that was pretty rare. So it's cool to hear that, like, you helped your mom set that up and, like, did people. Did you. Was it slow at first with, like, the sales on the website, or did it take some marketing to get the word out about, you know, this. This offering you guys had online?

[06:35] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: No. Yeah, it was low at first, and then I think ten years ago was so different because I feel like things kind of spread. Yeah, it's still through, like, word of mouth. Right. But I feel like after Covid, something. Shift. There's like, a shift? Yeah.

[06:55] BRIANNA CEA: Wow.

[06:55] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: It's like. I feel like a thai community is not as connected as. As before. You know, it feels like people are spreading out. It used to be that if you walk around Elmhurst, you always hear people, you know, speaking Thai.

[07:09] BRIANNA CEA: Right, right, right.

[07:10] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: And now it just became, like, dispersed. You rarely hear any.

[07:14] BRIANNA CEA: Do you?

[07:15] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Or see any thai people?

[07:16] BRIANNA CEA: Yeah, it's definitely, like. It's also just more diverse to the area. Right. So it's like, now you hear, like, a million languages instead of just one or two. Do you remember what this area was, like ten years ago? Like, Woodside, Elmhurst area?

[07:30] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Yeah, pretty much the same. Right. I don't think it changed much. No.

[07:33] BRIANNA CEA: Yeah, yeah. And so you mentioned you have a brother, right? Is there just you and your brother?

[07:39] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Yeah.

[07:40] BRIANNA CEA: Okay, cool. What was your childhood like? Did you guys grow up in Thailand or did you guys grow up in the States?

[07:47] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: We grew up in Thailand, but there is a time when we. My mom was able to afford, like, a better education here, so she sent us to, like, military school here.

[08:00] BRIANNA CEA: Oh, interesting.

[08:01] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: And we were in, like, Massachusetts a couple of years.

[08:04] BRIANNA CEA: Oh, what school in Massachusetts were you?

[08:07] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: It's called Northfield, Mount Hermon.

[08:09] BRIANNA CEA: Gotcha. Gotcha. So you were. How old were you when you came here for school?

[08:16] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Like, 14.

[08:17] BRIANNA CEA: Oh, 14. Okay, so you're a teenager.

[08:18] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Wow.

[08:19] BRIANNA CEA: What was that like for you to go, like, to come to the United States for school at the age of 14? Was it very different than Thailand?

[08:27] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Yeah, it was military school the first year. Yeah.

[08:32] BRIANNA CEA: So what was that like?

[08:33] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: It was like, you went from, like, I can't speak a word of English in two weeks. You. You can't. It's like this level.

[08:41] BRIANNA CEA: Yeah, yeah.

[08:41] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Because people are screaming at you. You know, you have to pick things up really fast.

[08:45] BRIANNA CEA: Wow. And was your brother with you for this part?

[08:47] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: My brother was here a year before.

[08:50] BRIANNA CEA: Okay.

[08:50] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: So. So he was used to that.

[08:52] BRIANNA CEA: Yeah. Did he go to military school?

[08:53] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Yeah.

[08:54] BRIANNA CEA: Whoa. So both of you. Wow. And did you guys, like, you said you had to learn very quick, right? Is that how you were able to, like, learn, like, you know, skills maybe to help your mom when she came here to open the store after you.

[09:09] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Guys from military school? Yeah, I don't know. Maybe. Yeah, maybe it helped a little bit.

[09:17] BRIANNA CEA: And after military school, did you continue your education in the United States?

[09:22] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: I went back to Thailand because there was. I can't remember. It's like Tom Yamgung crisis.

[09:31] BRIANNA CEA: Oh.

[09:31] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: So it used to be that value, right? Now it's 35 baht for $1.

[09:36] BRIANNA CEA: Right.

[09:37] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: So when we came here, it used to be 25 baht for $1.

[09:40] BRIANNA CEA: Oh, wow.

[09:41] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: So. And then, like, overnight it shift to, like, 50 baht. So what you pay is like double the price. Right. So there was a collapse, and a lot of people had to move back, and they lost a lot of things those years.

[09:57] BRIANNA CEA: And was this in Thailand?

[09:58] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: It's around 1998, yeah.

[10:00] BRIANNA CEA: 1998, this happened, yeah. Oh, wow. Okay. And so you went back to Thailand.

[10:05] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: And I went to college there.

[10:06] BRIANNA CEA: It was a college there, yeah. Cool. And what brought you back to the States?

[10:12] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: I was doing. I was just working in, like, advertising. And then just around 2005, you know, you feel like if you try to go get, like, a master degree, there's a better chance of you getting paid more, getting better jobs.

[10:29] BRIANNA CEA: Right, right.

[10:30] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: So we moved here, and then I have a. I was born in Texas, so I could ask for a student loan.

[10:36] BRIANNA CEA: Gotcha. Gotcha. And you said. I remember you mentioning to me earlier it was Houston, Texas.

[10:40] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Right, right.

[10:42] BRIANNA CEA: How long were you in Houston for?

[10:44] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: I don't remember that at all. I think because my mom met my dad somewhere.

[10:48] BRIANNA CEA: Oh, gosh.

[10:49] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Those years when they were studying, my dad, he's a policeman.

[10:55] BRIANNA CEA: Oh.

[10:55] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: And I think around that area, it's like the only. I can't remember what he'd say. Like criminology or something. And so a lot of thai people live around there those years because they got a grant or. Yeah, usually police and soldiers.

[11:13] BRIANNA CEA: Yeah, that makes sense. My dad's also was in law enforcement. Yeah. But in New York City, NYPD. So that's in Houston, Texas. Do you remember where they're like you said there were other thai people there. Like do you remember what the community was like in Houston or are you still like pretty young?

[11:30] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: No, I went back really fast, like one year. Just don't remember anything from Texas.

[11:36] BRIANNA CEA: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[11:37] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: I like country music though.

[11:39] BRIANNA CEA: Me too.

[11:40] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Yeah. So maybe something there.

[11:42] BRIANNA CEA: Yeah, exactly. Maybe something stuck with theory. I visited Houston for the first time this year and I was so amazed by the kind of cuisine, like the diversity of cuisine in Houston was incredible. And I also learned that they have like a big southeast asian population. And so do you know why your mom went to Houston? Was it because she met your dad there, you said or.

[12:06] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Yeah, she's my mom's daughter of like a military attache, right? What do you call it?

[12:13] BRIANNA CEA: Yeah, entourage type thing?

[12:14] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Yeah, it's like, so I think they met, she was in DC when she was like 1718 year old.

[12:24] BRIANNA CEA: Gotcha.

[12:24] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: And she met my dad and then they kind of move around a little bit because my dad was doing master degrees and PhD.

[12:33] BRIANNA CEA: I think that's so cool to hear because I know I was looking just recently at statistics about the thai community in New York, the United States. And a lot of Thais that do come to the United States do get their master degrees. They do get an advanced degree. It sounds like in your family that was a practice of you guys going to get a second degree and masters or stuff like that. Like did your parents encourage you to pursue higher education when you were younger?

[13:04] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: I think so. Just because in those days education means something so different from today, right. In those days it means connection, right? Like you go to Harvard, right? Yeah, it's just imagine, yeah, Ken, our.

[13:18] BRIANNA CEA: Facilitator goes to Harvard. Shout out. Go, Ken.

[13:20] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Just imagine her friends from ten years from now right, where they're going to be. And I feel like that's what, especially Bangkok people, if they can afford it, they try to encourage their sons and daughters to get higher education.

[13:38] BRIANNA CEA: Yeah, that makes sense. And so is your parents, were they both from Bangkok or.

[13:43] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Yeah, they were both from Bangkok.

[13:44] BRIANNA CEA: Oh, cool. Do you have any other family around Thailand or is it mostly in the Bangkok area?

[13:49] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: In the Bangkok? Yeah, I grew up in Bangkok.

[13:51] BRIANNA CEA: Okay, cool.

[13:51] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: You've been to Bangkok?

[13:52] BRIANNA CEA: No, no, but I'm going for the first time this year.

[13:55] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Oh yeah.

[13:56] BRIANNA CEA: I'm going December 5 to Bangkok.

[13:57] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: No way. Me too.

[13:58] BRIANNA CEA: Oh, no, wait, what? No way.

[14:00] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: I'm going like December 2.

[14:02] BRIANNA CEA: Wait. Whoa. Okay. You should definitely link up. How long are you gonna be in Thailand for?

[14:07] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: I'll be for like two weeks though.

[14:08] BRIANNA CEA: Oh my God, I'll be there for six weeks, so we should link up.

[14:12] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Yeah, yeah.

[14:12] BRIANNA CEA: I've never been before, and I'm going by myself, so.

[14:15] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Oh, my God.

[14:16] BRIANNA CEA: Yeah, I'm excited, I guess, for this, you know, for Storycorps, for someone like me who's never been to Bangkok, what would be, like, the things you recommend people see to, like, understand the city, things to do. What would you recommend?

[14:32] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Damn. I grew up in Bangkok, so I have so many, like, fond memories, you know?

[14:38] BRIANNA CEA: Yeah.

[14:39] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: You know, the first thing I did when I got here, it's not the first thing I did. I always, like, when I first moved here, I thought doing tourist thing was stupid. And then my friend, she's, like, a teacher, she said, hey, go up to Empire state. And she paid for the audio tour. And it was Tony Bennett on the audio tour. It was so fun. And you get to see the city from up top. Right. And you kind of know where you are.

[15:11] BRIANNA CEA: Right, right.

[15:11] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: So I feel like doing tourist things.

[15:14] BRIANNA CEA: Yeah.

[15:15] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Is good. There's a reason why. Why people are doing those, you know?

[15:18] BRIANNA CEA: True. So when I go to Bangkok for the first time, I recommend. I do, like, all the touristy stuff.

[15:23] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Do the tourist thing, too, and then try to find. If you stay, you stay in Airbnb.

[15:28] BRIANNA CEA: I'm gonna be staying, I think, in Bangkok. I'll be in a hostel. Yeah. Okay. What's the name of the road that, like, that famous party?

[15:37] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: The Khao San road.

[15:38] BRIANNA CEA: Yeah, I'll be there. Yeah. My friends told me it's gonna be very.

[15:45] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: It's. Wow.

[15:45] BRIANNA CEA: Wild.

[15:46] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Yeah.

[15:47] BRIANNA CEA: And I found. I found a place that had, like, a cheap, like, single room, so. And then I booked it. And then my friends after, we're like, oh, my gosh, it's so noisy. You're not gonna sleep.

[15:59] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Yeah. It's cheap, though, right?

[16:00] BRIANNA CEA: It's cheap, yeah. Yeah. So I'll be there, and then just, like, traveling around Thailand for the next six months, weeks for bringing it back to the family store. You mentioned that your mom has a good eye for buying things, right? Is there, like, a certain region of Thailand that she likes to buy products from? Or is it, like, all over Thailand that you guys have stuff in your store?

[16:30] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: It's not a. I feel like she's nothing. She's just have. She's just aware of what people are into, you know, she would be on Facebook. She's, like, very fast at learning, adopting, like, Facebook community, and so she would be, like, spying on these people. Do you know in there is, like, a thai community page where somebody would bring in a bunch of snacks from Thailand.

[16:57] BRIANNA CEA: Yes.

[16:59] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Right. Yeah. So they would carry these things in their luggage. Right, right. And so my mom would notice, like, oh, there's so many people like, those pictures, you know? And she'd say, why not? We import these things in.

[17:12] BRIANNA CEA: Oh, wow. So she, like, stays on top of, like, social media and trends.

[17:16] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Right, right.

[17:17] BRIANNA CEA: That makes sense. And is there, I guess, is there a certain type of product that is very popular in the store that, like, you notice a lot of customers come in and they're like, I always come in for this type of, like, curry paste or rice. Like, is there a very popular product?

[17:36] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Yeah, you know, it's fermented fish sauce.

[17:40] BRIANNA CEA: Fermented fish sauce.

[17:41] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: It's, like, strong stuff.

[17:43] BRIANNA CEA: Yeah, yeah. That's, like, the most popular thing at the store or the other stuff that I think.

[17:48] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Yeah, I think that's what most. Or people who. It's, like, very specialized kind of thing.

[17:55] BRIANNA CEA: Right.

[17:56] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: You can't find it here. It's probably, like, illegal, probably the way.

[18:00] BRIANNA CEA: They made it so strong. That makes sense.

[18:05] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: And so, yeah, people would go crazy with those things.

[18:08] BRIANNA CEA: Cool. That's awesome. And to your point of, like, there's certain things, like, made in Thailand. Right? That's probably only fine in Thailand. What does, like, being thai mean to you? You know, I know that you've moved around the United States. Now you're in New York. What does it mean to you to be thai in this community?

[18:31] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: I don't know. What does it mean to be thai for you?

[18:35] BRIANNA CEA: Yeah. So for me, you know, I think, like, we're sitting right now in the basement of the temple that I used to go to and I still, you know, go to now as an adult. But I remember coming here when I was a kid and, like, learning thai lessons down here and, like, running around, you know, doing the chants of the monks and serving the monks. And for me, being thai, it reminds me of those, like, childhood memories with my mom. And also, I think now it means me being proud of being a Thai New Yorker and trying to show this rest of the city and, you know, the state how amazing the thai community is and how welcoming we are and beautiful the culture is. You know, I think a lot of Thai New Yorkers, I mean, a lot of New Yorkers know about thai restaurants, but they don't know the history of, like, the thai community. They don't know the robust kind of culture that we have. And I want, as for me, being Thai means showing the world and educating people about who we are. That's what being Thai means to me. But, you know, I practice this answer a lot because I do these story part interviews, so I think about it a lot.

[19:55] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Great answer.

[19:55] BRIANNA CEA: Thank you. But, yeah, for you, what does being Thai mean for you?

[19:59] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: I think just because me growing up in, like, between cultures, I realized, like, very fast that you can't. You don't want to try to be, like something you're not, you know? Yeah, yeah. So whatever you grow up as you kind of, you look at it in a more, like, profound way, I think.

[20:24] BRIANNA CEA: Right.

[20:25] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: And so, yeah, for thai culture, I just love thai culture since I was very young, you know, because I realized that, oh, I have something here, you know.

[20:34] BRIANNA CEA: Yeah. And it's something that, you know, I think people appreciate. And to your point, like, you know, I think what I love about the businesses here in, like, little Thailand and Elmhurst and Woodside is that where people are very proud and, like, it's very authentic to who we are. Right. Like, that's what I love about this community. And I was wondering, like, when they create, like, when they had the little Thailand sign, when you saw that, like, what does it. The little Thailand, like, now that we have little Thailand way, it's, like, finally recognized, right. By the city, what does that mean to you? And has it. Have you seen it impact your business at all? At the grocery store?

[21:17] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Not so much. Because to me, it's just a sign, you know, it's thai people is. They're already here, and I'm not so sure I understand that. Maybe the recognition means, especially if you. For Thai Americans who grew up here.

[21:33] BRIANNA CEA: Yeah, right.

[21:34] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: But I guess for me, it doesn't mean much, but I do like the community.

[21:41] BRIANNA CEA: Right. It brings a community together.

[21:44] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Right.

[21:45] BRIANNA CEA: Yeah. And is there anything that you wish for the future of this thai community? Like, anything that you wish you had, you like to see more of or improve or just generally? Yeah. Like, what would you like to see for the future of this community?

[22:04] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: You know, when I think about thyness, I'm kind of worried about people back home because I feel like people of the new generations, they don't really recognize how, like, beautiful, something like, very simple, you know? And it feels like it's. Yeah, it's. It's weird. Like, now if you watch, like, thai television, you see people try to speak Thai and English, you know, kind of mixed together. It just feels weird to me, you know?

[22:44] BRIANNA CEA: Yeah.

[22:45] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: It feels like you're trying to be something that's not. Yeah, it's strange to me.

[22:53] BRIANNA CEA: Yeah.

[22:54] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: I feel like it's crucial that you find your holding really well because it's. The world's getting smaller, you know, because if you try to be korean or other thing, it's just not right, you know?

[23:10] BRIANNA CEA: Right. So, like, recommending that, like, people that we understand. Right. Like, where we come from. And I think last time I was actually not last time, but I was here. I forget what we were doing. Moon. I were always running around and doing stuff at temple, but we were down here with the new consulate. So this is right when the new consulate joined. And she was telling me something similar where she was like, she's thinking a lot about the next generation, particularly people like me who are Thai but born United States, I'm third generation. And she was telling me, you know, I worry about the future because she feels like that as she's traveled the country, that not many, you know, Thai Americans may feel as connected to the motherland and to Thailand because they don't know the language, they don't appreciate the culture and the history. And so she was telling me how it's so important for people like us who are younger to understand the stories, to understand the community, because then we can feel more connected and, like, educate people. Right. Like, in the future about, you know, thai culture in the United States. So she told me something very similar to what you're saying. I think about just. Yeah, feeling more connected.

[24:28] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: I feel like Thai Americans are more thai than. Or at least into Thai culture. More than Thai.

[24:34] BRIANNA CEA: I. Oh, really? Interesting. Oh, my gosh. Wait, can you tell me more about that?

[24:38] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: If you grew up in Bangkok, there's always these, like, expats, but they're not expats, they're Thais who grew up here.

[24:43] BRIANNA CEA: Right, right.

[24:44] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: And they would be, you know, just partying, going crazy in Bangkok. But I feel like they appreciate a lot of things that. That Bangkok people kind of look over, you know?

[24:58] BRIANNA CEA: Right, right. I think maybe that's common of, like, most people that are from a town because, like, no, I'm Thai, but I'm also from New York, born and raised. And to your point, I feel like people come visit New York City and they're like, oh, my God, it's New York in New York. And I'm like, whatever, it's my hometown.

[25:15] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Right.

[25:17] BRIANNA CEA: I just don't appreciate it sometimes, you know, I forget that, like, we live in this amazing city and someone, as someone that's born here, I just kind of like. I'm like, whatever. It's just another day in New York and these little reminders that this conversation is making me think of, you know, just take the time to appreciate your hometown more, you know? Right.

[25:38] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Yeah.

[25:40] BRIANNA CEA: And part of me that looks like, you know, trying to get the word out about little Thailand, you know, like, as part of the New York story. So you mentioned Covid-19 earlier, and that was when you said that you actually saw an uptick in, like, you saw more business during COVID Or was that.

[26:00] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Did I hear that wrong for three aunties? Yeah, we did. Good. Because we have online. Right. But I feel like after Covid, there's something shift, I think, not only thai people, but because we see the news earlier, like, last week about people moving out of New York.

[26:17] BRIANNA CEA: Yeah.

[26:18] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: There's something changed, you know, that. I'm not quite sure yet what it is.

[26:23] BRIANNA CEA: Right.

[26:23] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: But it feels like the world is changing, like, so fast right. After Covid, it's like people hitting fast forward.

[26:30] BRIANNA CEA: Right. And do you think, has that led to, like, less people at the store.

[26:34] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Or less people at the store? But I don't feel like it's less thai people in general.

[26:39] BRIANNA CEA: Gotcha. Yeah. Less thai people. I think that attracts. I think. And I also think to what we were talking about earlier, like, also thai people are moving to other parts of the country. And maybe P mu and I, we talk about just one year ago, we have the little Thailand way recognition. And I think our goal is to also show Thais that in Thailand who want to come to the United States that, like, there is this thai community in New York. Like, come here. Like, we'll welcome you. We'll help. We'll help you get settled here. It's kind of like how Thai saw a thai town in Los Angeles. Have you been to, like, Los Angeles? Yeah. So a lot of Thais, I think when they associate thai community in United States, they think of Los Angeles. They don't always think. I think of New York. But maybe now if we try to, like, work more with, like, the ambassador and consulate to raise awareness of, like, Woodside, Elmhurst, more Thais will come here. Cause I think to your point, I think thai families are also moving to other parts of the country. Cause it's also cheaper. Like, Texas, for example, Arizona, Nevada. But, yeah, I guess for, like, the store. Is there anything that y'all are looking forward to in the future in terms of you mentioned, like, the website? Do you guys have social media, like, on Instagram? Do you guys do, like, marketing that way?

[28:10] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Oh, yeah. We start TikTok now.

[28:12] BRIANNA CEA: On TikTok. No way. Okay.

[28:13] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Auntie's on TikTok.

[28:15] BRIANNA CEA: Wow. Okay. Is it like, your mom on the TikTok, or.

[28:18] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: No, it's me.

[28:21] BRIANNA CEA: I love that. That's, like, why TikTok? Why did you start a TikTok for three aunties?

[28:26] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Are you on TikTok?

[28:27] BRIANNA CEA: I'm on TikTok. I'll follow you on TikTok.

[28:29] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: It's crazy, right? It's like, I couldn't get into TikTok because it makes me so dizzy, because it was really short things.

[28:37] BRIANNA CEA: Yeah, like short films.

[28:38] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Right, right. And so I realized that everything is in TikTok. Right. And then. So I signed up, and then I started scrolling, and then I realized, now, Instagram and Facebook, it's like the outside of tornadoes, you know?

[28:56] BRIANNA CEA: Yeah, yeah.

[28:56] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: And TikTok. Yeah. It's like four days. You see it on Instagram, but everything is so fast. It's like Twitter.

[29:04] BRIANNA CEA: Yeah.

[29:04] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: On speed.

[29:05] BRIANNA CEA: Yeah. And, like, with more engaging content. Right. Cause, like, you're using video instead of just, like, little tweets.

[29:11] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Right, right.

[29:11] BRIANNA CEA: So on the TikTok, has that. Have you found, like, have people found three aunties on TikTok, or are you hoping to have TikTok grow more and get more followers?

[29:20] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: I'm not sure. I just do it. I do whatever I can to help, you know? If my mom says nobody's come to the store as it is, okay. I learned TikTok, and then I post something because that's the only thing I can do. Right, right. She said there's a lot of online orders now, so I'm not sure where it comes from. It's either Instagrams or maybe it's just Facebook's, but I just do whatever to help her.

[29:44] BRIANNA CEA: But I did notice, and I will say, I've seen the social media pages for three aunties, and I think your guys are doing great. And I think, to your point, it'd be really cool to see more of our businesses taking advantage of Instagram. TikTok to find. So, like, to find new customers. And, like, do you think it'd be helpful? Like, maybe on Instagram, we can create, like, a little Thailand, like, the geo location, and then people can, like, post when they're here, and they could, like, say, I'm in little Thailand, but it's like, little things like that, you know? Are there any other ideas that you have about, like, whether it be social media or other stuff online to help promote little Thailand or just like this.

[30:29] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Or even three aunties as a. I think about this a lot because I feel like we're just so, like, oversaturated. With things, you know, to entertain us. Right, right. And so your question is how to promote a community. Right?

[30:46] BRIANNA CEA: Yes. Yeah.

[30:47] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: I think maybe the other way around is what. What we can give to. Why would they.

[30:52] BRIANNA CEA: Right.

[30:53] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: You know, do attack on little Thailand.

[30:57] BRIANNA CEA: Right, right. For, like, people who are watching the social media.

[31:01] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Right. Or people who's visiting. What. What would they get out of it? You know?

[31:05] BRIANNA CEA: I love that. Yeah.

[31:07] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: And, yeah, it's. It's difficult. I don't really know the answer to it, but. But I think maybe giving is more attractive than taking because everybody is asking for something these days, either your attention. Right.

[31:22] BRIANNA CEA: So, like, what are, like, one thing that we've talked about with these, like, you know, we've done so many cool interviews with people in the community, and, like, they tell us all these awesome ideas. And one thing that I keep hearing is, like, to your point, like, how can we provide that experience for people who want to come to little Thailand? Like, a night market or, you know, stuff like that? You know, like, to create that experience so people feel compelled to come. So I love that framing that you're talking about. And you mentioned you are involved in tech. Not tech, for work.

[31:57] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Oh, for work. For, like, documentaries.

[31:58] BRIANNA CEA: Yeah.

[31:59] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: I do sound.

[31:59] BRIANNA CEA: Yeah. Sound. Okay, cool. So what do you. What do you do with sound?

[32:04] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Just like this.

[32:05] BRIANNA CEA: Oh, like this? Like sound. No. Can you. I think Ken's very engaged.

[32:14] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: No, no, no, I get it. I totally get it.

[32:17] BRIANNA CEA: Yeah. And what got you into doing, like, film or documentary stuff?

[32:22] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: I work. I'm a musician, so I knew how to record things, and then I went to film school, so started helping friends.

[32:30] BRIANNA CEA: Whoa. So how did you go from military school as a teenager to then film school?

[32:36] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Yeah.

[32:38] BRIANNA CEA: Why? What influenced you to get into film?

[32:45] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: I don't know. It's like, when I had to do master degree, it's like, oh, media studies. Sounds easy.

[32:51] BRIANNA CEA: I love that. That's so fun.

[32:54] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Just watch movies all day.

[32:56] BRIANNA CEA: Was that what it was? Did you watch movies all day?

[32:58] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Yeah, but it's, like, very pretentious, like, media school. Yeah, because they have to talk something smart about what they saw.

[33:06] BRIANNA CEA: Right, right. And was it mostly, like, western, like, media stuff, or do you watch thai films when you're in. No, no, no.

[33:14] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: They're pretty. They're pretty. It's liberal schools.

[33:17] BRIANNA CEA: Right, right.

[33:18] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: So it's a lot of artists, and then they try to be inclusive. Oh, cool. We have a non binary bathroom.

[33:27] BRIANNA CEA: Oh, cool. Yeah.

[33:29] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: You know, ten years ago.

[33:31] BRIANNA CEA: Yeah. Oh, wow.

[33:32] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Nobody use it. Yeah.

[33:33] BRIANNA CEA: Of, like, where? Politics.

[33:35] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Right.

[33:35] BRIANNA CEA: Back then that's cool. And so when. So you're still in the film industry, right?

[33:40] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Or sort of. Yeah. Not Hollywood film industry, but independent.

[33:46] BRIANNA CEA: Independent stuff. Tell me more about. I'm not at all, you know, really aware or educated on, like, thai documentaries or thai miya. I know that my friends recently have shown me, like, Netflix documentaries, like hunger, I think, is of Taiwan. Actually, it's not documentary. It's a regular film. But anyway, I've just seen this. More attention and awareness of thai media from non Thais in the past, like five years.

[34:14] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Yeah.

[34:15] BRIANNA CEA: Which is cool. Yeah, yeah. Have you seen that too in the industry?

[34:19] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Oh, definitely. They. Yeah.

[34:20] BRIANNA CEA: Wow.

[34:20] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: There's a lot of. If you follow. Are you a big, like, watch. Do you watch a lot of movies?

[34:28] BRIANNA CEA: I do, yes. Yes. Yeah.

[34:31] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: There's a lot of thai directors who kind of in different. It's like a. If you watch movie, there's like, a different realms.

[34:40] BRIANNA CEA: Right, right.

[34:40] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: And usually you see a few thai directors in, like, almost every realms, so.

[34:46] BRIANNA CEA: And in your industry, are you seeing more thai people getting involved in, like, the film or media industry in the United States?

[34:51] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: From my own work? Mm, not so much. Still, it's very difficult.

[34:57] BRIANNA CEA: Yeah.

[34:58] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: When you started out because there's just no money, you know, to begin with. Like, you start, like, working for free for. You just have to have a lot of grit. Yeah, keep going.

[35:11] BRIANNA CEA: Oh, yeah. Yeah. My people like yourself, and I have friends too, in industry. And it is hard work. It is hard work for sure, but. Oh, yeah, go for it. Yeah. Yeah. I have two questions, actually, but one is, before you were mentioning how, like, sometimes both of you were mentioning, you know, sometimes it's easy to overlook what we're so used to. Sometimes that's being thai. Sometimes it's the culture. Right. And so my question is, what is something small or, like, a detail about the thai culture that you want to appreciate more in the future? It could be anything. It could be like, the ingredients of.

[36:09] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Kasoy or you go first.

[36:14] BRIANNA CEA: Yeah. I think just cause it's fresh in my mind, I think that thread I was just on of, like, you know, I'm also part korean, so I know my. I am very, very, very. I'm a K pop stan. I've seen my K dramas. I'm very immersed in the k drama, K media world. I think I would want to appreciate. And you wanna go to Thailand. This will force me to. I wanna appreciate more thai media, thai movies and music. That's something that I would like to learn more about. And just, like, not just learn more about, but just, like, actually listen and watch more of.

[36:47] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: I already love thai culture. I think I'm pretty knowledgeable about thai culture, but I feel like I need to study more of United States history because I feel like, you know, we living here. It's also nice and kind to know how this country was formed. Right, true.

[37:11] BRIANNA CEA: I guess another version of this question for you would be like, what is an aspect of thai culture that you want other people to appreciate or deserves a little bit more attention?

[37:30] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: You know, for me, I never really realized how much thai temple is such an important part of a community until I came here. Because in Bangkok, if you go to temple, it's such a very. You kind of stand off. It's not so much interaction, but if you go to temple fair, kind of like, there's one every month in the small, other small temple.

[37:59] BRIANNA CEA: Yeah.

[38:00] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: You see how people kind of come together and help each other, and then you realize, like, oh, you know, that's kind of like a. It's a buddhist principle that's very ingrained in thai culture, especially suburban thai culture. You can still see it, you know, it's people coming together and giving and not taking so much. You know, it's like a. You cook food and then you share it. Right. And so when I look at it as I get older, I kind of appreciate it more. And when people say tambun in Thai, it means, like, collecting or making merits. Right. For your afterlife. But now I kind of see the deeper meaning of it. You know, I feel like it's about giving and sharing what you have enough.

[38:57] BRIANNA CEA: Right.

[38:58] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: And. Yeah, it's kind of like a. In Buddhist, it's like a refiner type of happiness. Right. There's happiness of a consuming, like, you. You're watching or you're listening to music. Right. And then there's another kind of happiness, which is, they say, more refined as a giving type of happiness.

[39:17] BRIANNA CEA: Yeah, that's beautiful. That's something that my mom, she always talks about. My grandmother, she passed when I was, like two years old. I don't. I unfortunately don't remember her as well. But my mom, whenever I ask her about grandma, she always says something along the lines of, like, your grandmother always loved to give. She was so generous, and she was very devout to temple, and she was buddhist, and she would raise my mom, she would ingrain that. My mom, no matter what she told my mom, you have to be a good person, and you have to give, give, give to your community, to your family. So, yeah, I definitely hear you on, like, that being a big part of thai culture. And I think it's a great answer.

[39:59] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: About, like, the thai temples or even Christianity, too. It's just you're giving to a community that this temple kind of, you know, it lends you places to work, students to study. Right, right. So it kind of you give to an organization that kind of helps other people.

[40:18] BRIANNA CEA: Right. Wow. Well, this was so much fun. Thank you so much for doing this with me, this conversation. I still can't believe that Thiriontes is named because literally threeontes started it. That is like my favorite fact I've learned all day. That's awesome. But yeah. Thank you so much for doing this with me, Napat And hopefully I'll see you in the stores, you know, soon, and if anything, maybe I'll see you in Thailand.

[40:40] NAPAT SNIDVONGS: Yeah. Nice to meet you.

[40:41] BRIANNA CEA: Awesome. Thank you.