Vendor Roth Mony has had a hit with his Honda CBR motorcycle-powered setup that includes a stage, speakers, a microphone, a vast archive of songs and tasty pickled papaya salad
Pickled papaya salad vendor Roth Mony’s family thought he was mad when they found out he was turning his motorbike into a brightly lit mobile KTV.
“My mum cried so hard when she saw me doing this, while some of my friends abandoned me for their own embarrassment,” Mony, 27, said. “They said I am being crazy on the road.”
The setup – powered by a Honda CBR motorcycle - includes a small stage decorated with a pair of illuminated hearts and flowers, a microphone, mixer and speakers,
a television and a touch-screen song archive.
Customers are allowed to sing one song for every $1 they spend on papaya salad, rice and drinks, or they can sing songs for an hour for $6.
After Mony started selling papaya salad last year, he said, customers often asked him to sing songs but he couldn’t remember all the lyrics. He bought a television and microphone and soon his customers wanted to join in the fun.
In May this year, he developed the concept into a fully fledged portable karaoke stage.
Mony’s catalogue includes pop, traditional and international songs from Thailand, Korea, China, Vietnam, the UK and the US.
He said he was sometimes hired as entertainment at parties charging $6 to $10 an hour depending on the location but otherwise could be found around town between 3pm and midnight.
Mony, who also owns a steel fabrication business, said he had big plans to expand both aspects of his business, building three more mobile karaoke stages for his siblings and also opening up a papaya salad restaurant.
And his family no longer think he’s crazy. Some have suggested he give up selling papaya salad entirely.
“But I asked them back: why would I do that when I am adding more money into my pocket? I can get profit from 100,000 riel to 120,000 riel per day selling papaya salad.”
To book Roth Mony Mobile
Karaoke for a function or party
call 012 222 383, 093 222 383
or 096 477 477.
