Thread: Som Tum Poo Pla Ra, most sought-after menu : Grab Thailand

Som Tum Poo Pla Ra (Papaya salad with crab and fermented fish) has been the most sought-after menu and the best-selling dish, with over 4.4 million orders via GrabFood throughout 2023.


A report from Grab Thailand revealed that the other top five most sought-after menus were black coffee, green tea, larb moo (spicy minced pork salad), and Thai tea.


Meanwhile, eggs and drinking water remain hot items, ranking as the most frequently ordered products on GrabMart.Coffee remains the best-selling beverage of all time, with total orders this year exceeding 4.6 million cups.


The vegan menu is the rising star, with the number of orders increasing fivefold compared to the previous year.


The top 5 best-selling menus during the New Year are pizza, mala hotpot, fried chicken, sandwiches, and burgers and the top 5 best-selling items during the New Year are bird’s nest gift hamper, flowers, beauty and cosmetics product gift set, ice cream, and snacks.


The top 5 best-selling items ordered throughout the year are eggs, drinking water, fresh vegetables, milk, and ice. Over the past year, more than 10 million eggs and over 9 million bottles of drinking water were sold via GrabMart.


Skincare products are the rising star, with the number of orders increasing up to five times compared to the previous year.


Chantsuda Thananitayaudom, senior director of Commercial & Marketing at Grab Thailand, said that in 2023, the company has observed notable shifts in the behavioral patterns of platform users.


“There is a discernible trend of consumers seamlessly integrating their out-of-home lifestyles with spending habits through digital platforms.”


She was speaking at the release of the ‘Food and Grocery Trends Report 2023,’ depicting the behaviors of platform users covering both food delivery and on-demand delivery of daily essential products.


The report compiled information from Grab users in six countries, including Thailand.


Som Tum Poo Pla Ra, most sought-after menu : Grab Thailand | Thai PBS World : The latest Thai news in English, News Headlines, World News and News Broadcasts in both Thai and English. We bring Thailand to the world

Perhaps the most disgusting thing they eat. The smell alone is retch inducing. Can’t abide the stench and forbid the wingman from consuming it indoors. She eats it with her chums on the balcony.

^
Agree. That stuff is awful!

I’m wondering if any farang eats pla ra. ‘Fess up.

Originally Posted by misskit

“There is a discernible trend of consumers seamlessly integrating their out-of-home lifestyles with spending habits through digital platforms.”

I wouldn't even know how to start seamlessly integrating my out-of-home lifestyle with my spending habits. Marketing people do waffle utter bollox.

^^No, it's Som Tam Thai for me.

Originally Posted by misskit

Agree. That stuff is awful!
I’m wondering if any farang eats pla ra. ‘Fess up.

Not I. Cannot abide the smell or the taste. There is a reason, too, tha Isan has such a high incidence of liver cancer.

Originally Posted by cyrille

^^No, it's Som Tam Thai for me.

Me too. The problem around here is that they use the same mortar to make the Tam Thai and there is often enough rankness left in the bowl to make it inedible.

Originally Posted by Seekingasylum

Can’t abide the stench and forbid the wingman from consuming it indoors. She eats it with her chums on the balcony.

the fact he eats it at all says a lot.

Originally Posted by misskit

^
Agree. That stuff is awful!

I’m wondering if any farang eats pla ra. ‘Fess up.

Not me for sure. But I had a visitor from France recently who happily ticked into a bowl of Som tam poo pla ra a couple of times.

English teachers - Suit up and explain the difference between dish and menu!!!!!!!!

Originally Posted by malmomike77

the fact he eats it at all says a lot.

Numpt on one of his 3am fishwives gossip sessions.

Originally Posted by Topper

English teachers - Suit up and explain the difference between dish and menu!!!!!!!!

Menu - the paper the dish is written on.

I eat som tum but the version without the fermented fish. I think that's the som tum Thai (accdg to Google).

I'm not fond of fermented fish (PH has its own version - called "bagoong" but it's eaten cooked, not raw) and the thought of eating pla ra (raw version) is eeww for me. But if people eat it, then to each their own.

And yeah, I've heard/ read of Thais having high rates of liver problems/ cancer due to eating pla ra.

Originally Posted by katie23

the thought of eating pla ra (raw version) is eeww for me.

And yeah, I've heard/ read of Thais having high rates of liver problems/ cancer due to eating pla ra.

Most pla ra used commercially and in food stalls and restaurants is prepared with cooked fish. Its only the homemade stuff (mostly in northeastern Thailand) that still use the fish raw - and that is when you get the liver problems. Its actually the bile ducts of the liver that are affected, leading to high rates of cholangiocarcinoma.

Originally Posted by misskit

I’m wondering if any farang eats pla ra. ‘Fess up.

Other country's do eat a similar fermented fish especially the Swedes.

Caught Out: People Eating Fermented Fish | This lot had an absolute nightmare trying to eat the world's smelliest fish, surströmming... ?? | By STUDENTbible

It makes an excellent laxative .

Originally Posted by david44

Correct and teh one in icelnd i smelt is even worse.
It is an iconic local fave i thnk they piss on fish bury it in sheep shit for 20 yrs some such , despite 30 bucks nip up the iceanders drink more tham me loada sschnapps to take awy the taste like helgas ssocks wipd around megma with gorgonzola and plaa raa

i do buy it for the fit young gardner ass it repels my frisky wife who having finally realized i am beyond home improvements looking for an upgrade pref hansum oil worker who away most time, no wahed p celtic aero typess need apply bar michael o'leary

The Icelandic fermented shark is done so because the type of shark who name I forget is a deep water species and has a protein or some such which is toxic, when left to ferment it breaks down to ammonia.

^Sharks use a special kind of protein to glow green in deep ...



Sharks use a special kind of protein to glow green in deep water | New Scientist

who calls crab poo and not boo ?

Originally Posted by baldrick

who calls crab poo and not boo ?

Neither. I either call it crab or ปู - crab when speaking English and ปู when speaking Thai.



I don't eat fermented fish either.

Originally Posted by katie23

I eat som tum but the version without the fermented fish. I think that's the som tum Thai (accdg to Google).

I'm not fond of fermented fish (PH has its own version - called "bagoong" but it's eaten cooked, not raw) and the thought of eating pla ra (raw version) is eeww for me. But if people eat it, then to each their own.

And yeah, I've heard/ read of Thais having high rates of liver problems/ cancer due to eating pla ra.

Bagoong and green Mango, love it

Originally Posted by BLD

Bagoong and green Mango, love it

Having said that I've had friends get mighty sick from eating kinilaw which is also my go to Filipino food. Something about liver flukes? Never happened to me perhaps all that tanduay kept it at bay