The noise from the crowd chattering, buying or trying to pick food from the booths and that which flowed continuously from the stage did not differ Chiang Mai’s Food and Entertainment Festival from any other festivals.

That night, we were part of the crowd, buying food and taking them to the table arranged especially for this festival. It wasn’t until late at night when we bought our food. We found a table with dishes, cups and garbage on it, it surely had been used. As we were waiting for the cleaner to finish the table next to us, we put all the used stuff on one side of the table. A few minutes later, a middle-aged cleaning lady came to our table, making it ready to serve us.

My friends and I said to her lightly, “Thank you” for we wouldn’t want to shout when the music from the stage was so loud. Only two words put a smile on her face, a smile of surprise and delightfulness that she was doing her job flawlessly.

Many people might find it unnecessary since she must fulfill her duty as a cleaner. She’d still had to do it without being “thanked” for anyway.

If we should look carefully at the Thai’s social economic context and question that is it because in Thailand these days that not only construction labours, fishing labours, but also cleaners, dishwashers who are either exiled or from the country are being paid so low that any small business can afford, even a noodle shop. Considering that the labour works, especially in service which do not need specific skills, many people think there is no need to say “Thank you”.

In other words, when the value of a job is measured by money, superimposing with discrimination, the outcome is a thin line between “It’s their duty/job.” and “cheap/alien workers” that obstructs the simple appreciation between us.