Khon Kaen: – That "Pla Ra" and Thailand's Northeast are inseparable is a well-known fact. But in what dish does "Pla Ra" feature the most?

One in two people in the Northeast would have plara somtam (papaya salad with fermented fish) in one of their meals for almost every day.

Khon Kaen University has released a survey of Isaan lifestyle in 20 provinces of the Northeast.

Isaan people rank Somtam as the most favourite dish. They have also listed four must-have items – mobile phone, television, refrigerator and motorcycle.

About four in five people work within the area of their house registration. One in five said their work place is located outside the domicile.

Barely two per cent said they would not eat somtam. The overwhelming 98 per cent said their meals included somtam, ranging from every day to at least once a month.

Residents of town and rural areas equally rate somtam as their favourite.

Seven in ten villagers would eat somtam daily. One in two town people would include somtam in their daily meal.

Migrant workers living outside domicile have an average family size of four.

Nine in 10 Isaan families have mobile phone, television, refrigerator and motorcycle, deemed the basic necessities for modern-day life.

Almost 98 per cent of Isaan households have more than three mobile phones. Of those mobile phone users, three in five have smart phones, including tablets.

In comparison to villagers, town residents are more affluent with mobile phone, car, air-conditioner, water heater and refrigerator.

Villagers are keen to buy, in order of importance, mobile phone, television, motorcycle and DVD player.

slow news day ?

News flash.....more than 98.56% of people speak Thai in Thailand....

Yes many of so know this. Now what? Call this news?

I eat food every day.

Hub of liver flukes.

This "news" sounds smells fishy to me.

They have also listed four must-have items – mobile phone, television, refrigerator and motorcycle.

No. five is a daughter working as a bar girl to pay for all this...

Disgusting stuff.

Disgusting stuff.

Yeah every year I give it another go to see if it's become an acquired taste. It never has.

I'd rather suck the sweat from Dave Lee Travis' beard.

Though hang on a minute....

In other news, water is wet.

In other news, water is wet.

Always?

i suppose one can get addicted to that

same as sugar, coffee, sigarettes, alcohol & drugs

I dont mind the Thai somtam without the pla ra,with the peanuts and lime juice,i always ask for it 'mai pet' ,but still sweat like a pig when i eat it,i cannot eat the pla ra one though.

another news...

7 out of 10 expats drink daily beer....

another news...

7 out of 10 expats drink daily beer....

"Daily beer" is a label I have not heard of

Disgusting stuff.

Love it - eat it at least twice a week,

I like the pla ra with crab in too. Don't mind either way. When in Isaan I eat it more - probably 4-5 times a week.

Do you eat Vegemite?

another news...

7 out of 10 expats drink daily beer....

"A Double Diamond works wonders, works, wonders, a Double Diamond works wonders so drink one today" - used to be a jungle on British TV. Double Diamond, Mackeson, Guiness, Davenports and others all ran TV adds extolling the virtues of drinking beer regularly.

Was a time some thought it was a "health food"

Disgusting stuff.

Love it - eat it at least twice a week,

I like the pla ra with crab in too. Don't mind either way. When in Isaan I eat it more - probably 4-5 times a week.

Do you eat Vegemite?

your suppose to eat Vegishite ?....he was me all these years greasing axles with it..

Hub of liver flukes.

A Thai cancer doctor told me that liver cancer is one of the three most common cancers she treats (the other two being breast and cervical) and that most was traced to the liver fluke parasites in pla ra somtam. Here's a somewhat recent NY Times story on it: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/26/world/asia/26iht-thailand.html

This is thrilling Thai news. The PN just gave his weekly update yesterday, yet this item takes the lead in the Thai news. Magnificent work on the part of the editorial staff of the Thai news.

No!

Really?

Who would have guessed....

They have also listed four must-have items – mobile phone, television, refrigerator and motorcycle.

No. five is a daughter working as a bar girl to pay for all this...

If said daughter continued to eat the disgusting smelly food listed above, she would n't earn much: her only customers would be restricted to those with a heavy nasal cold.

Hub of liver flukes.

A Thai cancer doctor told me that liver cancer is one of the three most common cancers she treats (the other two being breast and cervical) and that most was traced to the liver fluke parasites in pla ra somtam. Here's a somewhat recent NY Times story on it: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/26/world/asia/26iht-thailand.html

Never knew about this before. Thanks for the info.

Only cooked fish for me.

Disgusting stuff.

Love it - eat it at least twice a week,

I like the pla ra with crab in too. Don't mind either way. When in Isaan I eat it more - probably 4-5 times a week.

Do you eat Vegemite?

your suppose to eat Vegishite ?....he was me all these years greasing axles with it..

And then u lick the axles? Wow - what a guy! Drink warm beer as well?

Hub of liver flukes.

A Thai cancer doctor told me that liver cancer is one of the three most common cancers she treats (the other two being breast and cervical) and that most was traced to the liver fluke parasites in pla ra somtam. Here's a somewhat recent NY Times story on it: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/26/world/asia/26iht-thailand.html

Never knew about this before. Thanks for the info.

Only cooked fish for me.

Make sure your chicken and pork is cooked through as well. No pink bits!

Pink bits you can get elsewhere

NEWS FLASH! They Speak Thai in Thailand!!!

The 1 in 5 who said their work is away from home must be wrong.

Wife's village is a ghost town compared to Songkran.

I'd think most Issan villages are?

Hub of liver flukes.

A Thai cancer doctor told me that liver cancer is one of the three most common cancers she treats (the other two being breast and cervical) and that most was traced to the liver fluke parasites in pla ra somtam. Here's a somewhat recent NY Times story on it: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/26/world/asia/26iht-thailand.html

<deleted> stuff gave me the parasite 2 years after moving to Isaan - very unpleasant flash fevers. So now any time I do bloods or have a CT scan I have to remember to ask the medics to give the liver a thorough once over for potential onset of liver cancer.

It took the top guy at the UK's top tropical diseases hospital to look down the microscope and pronounce "Opisthocarsis" after it had passed by a couple of Thai (non-Isaan) doctors and infectious disease specialists in a large regional UK hospital.

It's a misnomer to call palaar (or pla rah) "fermented" fish. If it was fermented at all properly the flukes would not survive. The problem is that palaar is cheap $hit that every local market throws its fish waste into without any thought whatsoever for public health.

My extended Thai family's reaction is typical. They know the full story but still laugh as they give me a non-palaar version of somtam (usually 'dam thai', but there are many variants - all equally delicious IMO) and then set about scoffing bucket loads of the potentially lethally dosed-up stuff themselves. Every afternoon between 2:30 pm and 4:00pm - it's the Isaan equivalent of a must-have 'cup-o-tea'.

More fool them

AVOID at all costs. [Laap Plaa too unless the fish has been cooked].

The 1 in 5 who said their work is away from home must be wrong.

Wife's village is a ghost town compared to Songkran.

I'd think most Issan villages are?

.... err yes but they could only ask the ones who were there at the time?!

Must vary a lot from village to village but in my village (Sisaket) I reckon that returnees at New Year and Songkran swell the village by roughly only 25%. Many of these have in reality moved (mostly to Bangkok or surrounds) pretty much permanently for many years, so it would be wrong to count them as Isaanites anyway.

Som Tam lao or Som Tam thai.