Pattaya ‘somtam’ shop eats higher papaya costs to keep customers

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Pairin “Jae Kai” Charoensuk said papaya prices have gone up, but she hasn’t raised the price for her papaya salad.

Pork, chicken and eggs aren’t the only things getting more expensive. Somtam is, too.

But the Jae Kai Hai Tak somtam shop in Pattaya is holding the line on price increases, eating the higher cost of papaya to keep customers coming back.



On Jan. 16, it didn’t appear to be working. There were fewer patrons than normal.

Pairin “Jae Kai” Charoensuk said papaya has gone up from 10 baht each to 25 baht in some cases. But she’s still selling papaya salad with crab and fermented fish for 60 baht.

Fewer people are going out to restaurants due to the current coronavirus outbreak and the expectation of higher prices.

She said papaya prices have gone up along with other vegetables due to higher transportation costs due to fuel being more expensive.

Pairin used to buy a 10-kilogram bag of papaya for 150 baht. The same bag is now 320 baht, she said.

She has fewer customers due to the current coronavirus outbreak and the expectation of higher prices. But she still does good delivery business.


Pairin said she still does good delivery business for her papaya salad with crab and fermented fish.