No, I have not sampled every cuisine on the planet, as I thought we were talking about Isaan food. If I am right, then that will not be necessary, but by all means. Please correct me if I am wrong.
Yes, there are a lot of dishes that are basically drenched in pla raa. (With that I mean giving the dish an overpowering taste of that specific ingredient.)
When I wrote pepper, I meant Chilli or Thai pepper as it´s also commonly called. (Good on you, I give you 5 points for that guess)
Yes, banana and pineapple som tum is great, if you do not like the taste of fruit, love pla raa and need "Chilli" for your food as a second ingredient for taking away the natural taste. Only the color of that dish should keep you away from it.