Ah, the mighty Som Tum and fermented fish guts. You beautiful rotten guts of joy. You saviour of every day in Isaan. You rotten guts laden masterpiece forged by the hands of every woman in Isaan, sometimes multiple times a day

 

Forget Michelin stars and five-star nonsense. Nah. This is the real deal lads. 4 fish just died for you to munch on it's putrid fishy stench specials.

 

No judgment, no questions, no waiter hovering by askin’ if you want still or sparkling. Just you, your fish guts, and the silent nod of respect from every other ferang yearning for a whopper in that village. You can keep your caviar, truffle oil and the foie gras. Give HF that stinky little plate of happiness at breakfast, lunch and dinner when the streets full of actual food,  but the rotten, fermanted, 2 weeks underground stench wins out..

 

Long live the Som Tum and fermented fish guts. The true five-star-feed of Thailand. Never lets you down, always there when you need it most. If only the real fish were as tasty.

Clearly this is an Isaan p!55 take on old mate Susans post.... relax

If you are in Isaan, you know... If you are not, well, you're not.