#nitman

Firstly most of these dishes have multiple spellings in English (and also often many different names within Thailand). I just picked one spelling, that will be enough to do a search, if you want to find a recipe for yourself. 

Som Tum in What’s Zabb Man

AKA Green Papaya Salad 

I think this is the one most people will know on this list. Unlike overseas, in Thailand there are many varieties of som tum (I’ve had an ocean-side version served with little blue crabs, raw and in the shell, AMAZING). It’s often a street food, and it’s usually quite spicy. You order by either asking the vendor (it’s traditionally served from market stalls just as we saw at the beginning of this show) for a heat level or number of chilis. The ingredients are then pounded together with a massive mortar & pestle. The order and amounts of the different ingredients are chef-specific, so the variety and uniqueness is immense with this dish. There are fans of it who make a point of trying as many different versions in each city they visit. Like being a wine taster.

Som Tum highlights what I think is best about Thai food - it’s bright forward freshness and deep complexity of flavors. Som Tum is the firework-in-your-mouth of salads: sour, sweet, salty, spicy, umami, herbaceous. It’s a spectacular dish (which has been ill served by it’s ubiquitousness outside of Thailand). It should be made fresh, (this is NOT a slaw), because if it sits at all the elements become soggy and the flavor muddled. 

What’s Zabb Man emphasized the important aspects of this dish. Its spiciness and its freshness, the uniqueness of its flavor, not to mention how each chef makes it his own. 

After all when Poon goes missing, Athip finds him again because, after one taste of his Som Tum, he knows who is in the kitchen. 

Kao Soi in Bite Me

AKA Northern Thai Curry Noodle AKA Chiang Mai Curry Noodles 

Did I do this post because I want to talk about this dish? Probubly. Here in the states it’s a rare to find on offer but it’s one of my absolute favorites. 

I’m obsessed with diaspora foods in general - AKA fusion foods that highlight immigrant, colonial occupation, and/or blended communities. Lamb Vindaloo and Banh Mi are some famous examples of this. There was one banh mi place I found in Nor Cal run by a Chinese/Vietnamese couple that made a char siu pork + pâté banh mi, it was WILD and wicked good! Sorry, I digress.  

This is a Northern Thai dish, common in Chang Mai, influenced by both Burmese (Myanmar) cuisine and local Chinese communities. It’s wildly variable by family and by region. This is also possibly one of my favorite foods. It’s notable in that it is one of the few traditional Thai dishes you will find served with chopsticks. (When I order it here in the states that’s one of the things I look for.) 

It is a noodle soup/stew. Can be rice, egg, or flour noodles, usually ramen style (but sometimes fettuccine), topped with a thick coconut forward curry broth, stewed dark meat chicken (usually on the bone) and raw onion. It has fried crispy flour noodles on top and is served with pickled vegetables, extra spices, fresh herbs, lime wedges, and raw shallots (or some combination thereof) - either on the top or on the side (banchan style). The curry element usually has more in common with Chinese or Japanese yellow curry powers (like those used for Singapore noodles) than red or green Thai curries. It combines what we would think of as traditional Thai flavor profiles with Chinese, and can also uses some Indian spices. It is a very layered dish, with more depth and earthiness and slightly less brightness than a lot of other Thai food. It tends to have a rounded heat to it (hitting all of the mouth, like Indian cuisine). I am a particular fan of the pickled greens element. 

Bite Me is not a great BL but Aek sharing his Chiang Mai roots with Chef Aue, most specifically around this dish, is key to the plot (what little there is). But this is not a dish that is served in Chef Aue’s restaurant. 

Khai Palo in Enchanté 

AKA 5 Spice Pork & Egg Stew

This is the dish Theo remembers from his childhood that Akk’s family cooks for him. It’s a fascinating dish because it’s retains a very strong Chinese influence and is noted for using soy sauce as its salt element (rather than the more ubiquitous fish sauce) and for NOT being spicy, also it involves 5 spice.

It’s also often associated with children or childishness and comfort food. It’s most commonly found as a street food or homemade, and is relatively rare in restaurants outside of Thailand. It has a similar flavor profile to Moo Gratiem which is one of my favorite dishes. (It’s that white peppercorn and garlic thing = NOM.) It’s also very easy to make, I recommend it. There is a Mama ramen noodle version you can sometimes find and buy, but I always need to add more five spice. 

In Enchanté this dish is a plot point and is interesting because it highlights both the time when Theo was last in Thailand (as a child), Akk’s interest in courting and caring for him, and Theo’s somewhat childish nature/behavior.  

Gaeng Tai Pla in Close Friend 2

AKA pickled fish sour soup 

A famous dish developed in the fishing communities of Southern Thailand. Traditionally it involves pickled fish bladder (Tai Pla) + large chunks of dried fish meat, Thai eggplant, bamboo shoots, and/or seasonal greens, with a spice profile similar to tom (lemongrass, lime, shrimp paste, red chili). 

I've never been lucky enough to eat this, but it's on my hit list. I think I could make something like it, but I can’t get hold of the the Tai Pla for love nor money.

Luk Choup in La Cuisine (& Until We Meet Again) 

AKA no other name, really, but this is also the main characters name in La Cuisine, ลูกชุบ (translation, coated pieces) but the meaning of this dessert is “loved by all, or adored.” This aspect of the name is a plot point in the series. Choup’s older brother, aunt, and grandmother all refer to him as the family’s beloved one, or special one, or most loved. 

Luk Choup are tiny imitation fruits/vegetables (or occasionally star shapes) these are made of mung beans cooked with coconut milk and sugar. Once formed, they are dipped in gelatin and painted with food coloring to resemble other food. Recipe here.

This one appeared multiple times in Until We Meet Again, on the bus, at the fair, and at the very end during Dean and Pharm’s separation.

I’ve eaten these.

Consistency wise the exterior is like a gummy but much tougher, and with a bite to it. So like if you made jello into sheets but with too much gelatin. I’ve actually never had anything else to compare to this texture, perhaps like some of the bits in bubble teas? The interior is like very thick humus meets the inside of a peanut butter cup. 

As for taste, the gel outside has no flavor and the inside tastes a lot like red bean paste. They are not very sweet.

Here’s a YT vid on how to make these.

Chor Muang in Until We Meet Again 

AKA Blue Flower Dumpling

Chor Muang is a purple or blue flower-shaped dumpling that is savory, stuffed with a spiced minced chicken. These days it is a popular appetizer but it was once served as a dessert. The coloring is done with butterfly pea flour. Recipe here. 

Chor Muang is a major catalyst food for the plot of Until We Meet Again. It is featured in a play starring Del and Manaow and is the reason Pharm meets and befriends Del. This allows him to start helping fix Dean’s strained family dynamic.

Later he feeds this dumpling to Team, Win, and Dean in front of witnesses. This is the first time he feeds Dean (it will not be the last.)

I did a post all about the sweets in this show. Here’s a YT vid on how to make these. 

Nom Yen in SOTUS (also 2 Moons, 2 Moons 2) 

AKA Pink Milk 

Pink milk is pretty ubiquitous in most Thai BL series. Technically, its origin for association with BL is the original y-novel of 2 Moons. However, most international watchers are familiar with it from SOTUS (more recently it has shown up associated with side characters in Nitman and Love Area). 

After watching SOTUS and both 2 Moons installments I got curious. Here’s the full post I did on pink milk, how it’s made and my experience attempting to recreate it. I can see why it might be thought of as a childish drink, it reminded me a bit of birthday cake flavoring, ice cream bean, or cotton candy. It’s very sweet and not a whole lot else. 

THAI LANGUAGE CORNER 

I haven’t learned the minutia yet but around ordering food in Thai but the Thai bestie always complains the monikers (also verbs?) for dishes have to do with what the dish is usually served inside. So some dishes have names/consumption verbs that have to do with bowls and others with plates. 

Much as in English we would use the verb “drink” for broth but “eat” for soup. (And also argue about which one is appropriate under which circumstances.) 

To train your ear for BL food:

gin = to eat or to have a meal (also under certain circumstances/sentence structures is slang for to sexually consume or fuck). See Pharm misuse this one in UWMA when Dean first visits his condo. 

khao or kao = food but also actually rice, also a name and also third person he pronoun

talay = the ocean and also mixed seafood and a name 

pad = usually means a stir fried (dryer) dish 

pak = veggies! 

kai (sounds like gai) = chicken ไก่ but also egg ไข่ (yes they are different in intonation and spelling, but really I find it darn near impossible to hear the difference) 

A list of some common dishes is here. 

Please leave a comment if any other dish has shown up you want to talk about, because this is basically my favorite topic EVER. I love to eat and cook Thai food so, yeah. Also the oft mentioned Thai bestie is an AMAZING cook. I often act the part of her kitchen goblin. 

Binge watch.

Okay so I am hopped up on cold meds and jet lagged and I decided to try to watch this soapy mess because why tf not?

Ep 1

Oh no, it’s good. Like: this is a good opening. And I do love OhmFluke, but you know who I really love? Noh (orig. Nitiman). Gah.

For the first time in a long while two boys in a BL make for actually believable brothers. Whacha know?

Fluke’s hair is AWFUL.

And suddenly the whole thing goes v odd. I’m not sure if that’s the captions, or if the show itself is trying to be existential. What an odd meet cute and what strange dialogue.

I’m so confused.

It’s like it’s trying to be both BL and transcendental poetry.

I like spunky Fluke tho.

Linguistic corner: these two are using chan/nai for I/you - v formal.

Poor Noh, they always make him play sports when it’s clear he just... doesn’t.

How much do I love the whipping boy side couple?

SO MUCH!!!!

Ep 2

Is the thing with the apples just to make Fluke cry?

I like the conflicted poor little rich kids family dynamic.

But there’s a lot of establishing scenes, it’s moving pretty slowly.

Sorry this one isn’t whipping me into a verbal frenzy. I’d drink, but not on top of cold meds. You know those warnings on med labels? They’re for me. I’m the one that shouldn’t operate machinery, not even a computer.

Wait. What? Why didn’t we get to SEE this bit?

Ep 3

So this is about classical music and no one is actually playing and no one is singing, so I’m absolutely fine with it.

The fencers with the unrequited crushes are boring to me. But there is a kind of Midsummer Night’s Dream aspect to these relationship dynamics.

GAH! The apple collecting thing was so cute and so romantic.

Not a lot of BL tropes so far in this show, but I like it’s brand of sappy.

I love how utterly incapable of flirting Kim is.

The opening the car door thing did, in fact, make me hoot with laughter.

Fluke’s pretty darn good at being a bossy bitch and Ohm does exasperation well. Honestly, I’m liking this show a lot more than I thought I would.

Oh yay! We  get to see Rain sleeping in his boys room. Lovely. I do enjoy whipping boy trope, v kinky.

*sits back and smiles in dominant smug*

I ALSO love the little brat in-crush with Rugby Rain. It’s all very delish.

It’s thanksgiving all over again, I’m all about the side dishes.

Okay, the end of this episode was so confusing. Are they play acting a couple break up for the girl? Are they actually arguing? What are they arguing about? Were they dating? What happened? What’d I miss? Why the dramatic soap opera music? Why the overacting?

What is going on?

Ep 4

Oh I forgot about the fencers.

And finally a BL trope, crash into me. (At least it wasn’t a pratfall kiss.)

Oh I do like a gay fencer sword pun.

Very nice. 

Also, a shower scene already? Are these two the PokeTongue’s of this show?

Who let Star Hunter in the house?

Rain + Sun and the insults was great. Very funny. These two are kinda of alike, actually. Fun fun. I like these characters.

Bounce bounce.

Why didn’t anyone tell me this was such a goofy show?

I’m getting a tiny bleed of Japanese slapstick absurdist leaking in and I’m not mad about it. The weird apples and arbitrary mood swings should have tipped me off.

This show has almost a panto play going on.

Rain IDing his brother’s bf and being like, welcome to the fam, I leave him in you care was such a Dom move.

Oh, baby is a floppy drunk! Finally some BL tropes are dropping. And another crash into me. And a wet towel sponge bath. Tropes coming thick & fast now (speaking of thick & fast.... wait, no, bad cold meds, don’t go there)...

Okay, we are back in familiar territory. I thought this one was going to be original. Silly me! This is BL!

Not sure if I am disappointed or not.

Ep 5

Bathroom drama.

Fencing sword boys drama. Why so mean? Honestly, if I were Kim I’d be out too.

Ooo Rain with the consent, even if it’s just a hook up. Also... boys. Bunk beds? Everyone is gonna know. Like EVERYONE.

This show is going places I really did not expect.

Oh! It was all a fake out. *pout*

Okay baby boy, you get down with those fantasies. I’m with you. He hot.

What’s with Sun and the magical Ikea box?

Also, they’ve know each other since childhood trope? Really?

*whines” I don’t want to add another one to that trope list.

Ep 6

I like the plot of butler dad kinda finding out his son is involved with the heir. Good dramatic twisting. Also, evil homophobic jerk nozzle, turns out.

I remain engaged.

Did the stretching part make me grin?

Yes t did. Boys rolling around on mats together never fails to please.

There are a lot of faen fatals and fatales. Like this show is lousy with them. I see why everyone called it a soap opera.

I am so happy that there is no singing I don’t even mind that no one can play an instrument in that whole band (orchestra).

Honestly, the band leader (conductor) looks like First’s (of JaFirst) older brother. It’s wigging me out. 

Ep 7

Look, I admit, I am not even half way through and I am flagging a bit. This is a long arse show.

Speaking of arses...

Another shower scene?

(Anyone else notice that it’s always the same shower? No? Just me. Can’t be helped. Unforgotten Night has made me overly concerned with Thai pluming in BL ... not a euphemism.) 

Boy this series has a supper voyeuristic lens. Not that I’m complaining, never that.

(Bops over to see if the director is gay.... MDL = no info on subject. Well, okay then.)

Returns to shower scene, arses, pluming, and supposition.

Oh! Wound tending!

Ooo, rejected fencing cutie makes move on Sun! Kim is not pleased. you snooze you loose, big boy.

Coils within coils, this is such a soap. I love it. Did I mention I was raised on bread, water & East Enders?

Okay maybe not raised.

Definitely watched too much of it tho.

Oooo, that was a very Light On Me moment.

PAUSE TO REFUEL

Okay I have consumed Korean soft tofu stew and more loopy-making cold meds, and will work on a pomegranate while I continue to watch.

Ep 8

Mostly worked on the pomegranate.

Meds took effect.

Stuff happened int he show but I forgot to make notes. Pomegranate distraction.

Oddly, I’m missing the swordsmen.

Ep 9

Oh, hair drying. Cute. I kinda have come around to this trope over the years I’ve had it shoved in my face... erm... flopped on my head.

MORE SHOWER

Oh! My Showering Night more like it.

I declare this BL official winner of this trope. 

Meanwhile beach frolic. AND a woods frolic.

Ep 10

Finally I’m half way through!

Oooo we have a magic heart rebooting BOOP! to go with the magic apples.

Oooo more shower scene, this time with added bonus sexitimes. Also neck kisses! My favorite.

I’m sorry but I just keep imagining what if we had gotten to this level with Nitman?

Oh, what could have been.

Nice kisses! But also no sex on the beach boys, no one enjoys that.

Meanwhile, the fencers can’t figure their shit out, because they keep fighting with the wrong swords.

And our main couple is being quite tame with a shoulder lean, side hug, water watching triple trope strike on the beach.

Okay weird dream helicopter thing.

Look, Mean Rich Paw, I’d kick him out of the house for wearing that outfit alone.

No other reasons needed.

Disown the fucker.

Band shirt/vest/thingy, no inheritance for you!

Man the fashion this year in BL has been brutal.

Ep 11

I don’t know If I can finish this tonight.

Invited up to the Sun’s room is he? (occasional flashes of DeanPharm).

Okay, wait, the premise of Sun’s illness is SO STRANGE. He has to eat apples and stay away from his parents to save his heart?

What the hell is going on?

The whipping boy always has to run, identity separation is part of the trope. Because his identity is too tied to the spoiled prince, he has to try to make it on his own to realize he can’t.

I like the twist of butler dad encouraging him to leave, tho. (Usually whipping boy is abandoned or an orphan.)

Ep 12

OMG who eats shrimp when they are allergic to shellfish? for fuck’s sake.

Another white towel sponge bath? I take back what I said about lack of tropes.

I do love the tug and cuddle my human bolster pillow. It’s very sleepy entitled.

I am v bored by the parents buying the estate plot-line. I can’t decide if doctor lady is running a con or father and son are running a reverse con on her?

OOOO DRAMA!!!

The parents have died! Rain is missing! The doctor lady is indeed evil! Ohm has to act!

Oh fuck me not the amnesia trope.

I HATE THAT TROPE.

Okay, I gotta go to bed. I really tried. Had this been a normal length Thai BL I would have made it. But the rise of the amnesia trope did me in.

Tomorrow~

Ep 13 

I am glad Dad Butler is evil enough to recognize Dr. lady is also Evil. And we have a textbook soap opera definition hostile takeover. The evils go up against each other. 

We are in true Heirs level soap opera territory now. 

Someone is definitely going to be kidnapped soon. 

Ep 14 

This is my surprised face, the man allergic to shellfish, who still eats shrimp, goes wandering off into the forest with no survival skills when he has a brain injury. 

Fantastic. 

A time-lapse 3 months. 

Finally, the attack of the amnesia trope! 

I am so unhappy about this.

Ep 15 

We are moving into Bold & Beautiful level soap. 

The guys in the woods are still looking for Rain, still wearing exactly the same clothes that they’ve been wearing for 3 months. 

Apple boy, still eating apples and still talking to completely whacked out mother. I hate her. While Kim turns into a forgetful depressed rich recluse in the mountains. Now I understand why people got frustrated with this show. 

I feel like I read this as a really bad 70s romance novel, or maybe it’s meant to be like a Jane Eyre remake? 

Anyway, finally, our boys are reunited, but of course, amnesia trope. We hates it precious. All the friends have arrived. Or to be more precise all the incestuous faen fatals have arrived. 

Ep 16

After 3 months, one would have hoped the fencing boys had figured out their shit. I guess not. More evil fashion. 

I just can’t even. At least they took it off him fast. Wish it had gotten ripped in the process. 

Fencing boys now figuring everything out in the best way possible. 

This show keep surprising me with how high heat it is. 

Ep 17 

Magical, candy-colored comets. I just can’t with this show. Also… new crumbs. 

The refractory period on these rebound couples is as fast as the show is slow. Some weird monogamy mathematical principle must be in play. 

And it’s finally revealed that they are childhood sweethearts. 

OhmFluke do give good kiss. Fluke dose submission v well. 

In fact * waves hands airily about* good kisses all around. Well done cast! 

Also, and I am only admitting this to you people, but I totally have a fetish for CMNM and we NEVER get to see it, so thank you for this one, OMSN. 

Ep 18 

Good sex, bad plot. 

That’s my ultimate review of this show. (Which makes this kinda a runner up to KP to be honest) 

Look, I get that BL has rules that must be obeyed: 

boys must damsel off into the woods alone. 

boys must talk to their not-quite boyfriend while said bf is asleep, but he is never actually asleep. 

not one drop of rain is ever allowed to touch your boyfriend’s head because DOOM AWAITS 

Clear? OK. No I don’t understand why these rules exist either. I don’t make them, the BL gods do. 

Anyway OMSN is all over rule #1. 

Anyway, back to this damn show. Attempted kidnapping, and Kim has to save his boyfriend with a bow & arrow plus some arbitrary somersaulting in, what is this now? The Hunger Games BL? 

*ooo, wait a moment - KOREA make that happen! - where was i?* 

WILL SOMEBODY PLEASE TELL ME WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON? 

THIS SHOW IS TOTALLY ON CRACK IN A WAY THAT, FRANKLY, EVEN YYY COULDN’T EMULATE. 

Look, my dumb new dictation software made that into all caps and I’m leaving it because it’s entirely appropriate.

Meanwhile, you can not do a close-up of a gun if it doesn’t have a trigger. I understand there are weird regulations in place but just do a further away shot OK? 

Oh look, it’s ABL’s Angels. 

Want to start a detective agency, pretty boys? I’ll be your voice in the box. You can have all the shower scenes you want. We could invite MaxTul? I’m sure they’d be game. (Frankly Manner of Death had a more cohesive plot than this.) 

We basically end on a pastiche of troops that the show didn’t manage to hit earlier: boys on bridges, a forehead kiss, back hugs, put a robe on him, and... 

How do I sum this up? 

I am left with mostly a profound feeling of confusion. Where did Dad Butler go? And yet I am also curiously satisfied. I mean, all the sex scenes were good. I don’t know how to rate this. Less annoying than LITA, not as boring as it could’ve been? Except that I was really quick on the fast forward button and skipped a ton of establishing shots. This was probably agony to get through if you watched it week-by-week, but it’s OK as a high-speed binge. 

What the hell?

7/10

Quick Pitch: 

Kim, a tsundere musician meets Sun, a sunshine transfer student with a weak heart. Also there’s a hot older brother + their household servant, and a couple of fencers for good measure. Initially this pretends to be a normal university BL, then it slips on wet tiles and falls right on trough multiple shower scenes into ludicrous soap opera territory leaving one with a sensation rather like trying to hold onto soap in a communal shower. Ultimately, everyone seems pretty happy they bent over, but no one actually got clean. 

Or should I say soap dishes? 

Fanfic, Lit Crit, Media & BL 

So there are some academics doing fandom research, most notably those like Meredith Levine - you can listen to her being interviewed on Alie Ward's Ologies podcast: Fanthropology (FANDOM).

They tend to be working from anthropology and sociology backgrounds. So not narrative analysis (which comes out out of film studies and lit crit in English departments.) Those of us interested in story and film, genre and demographics, tend to work on an economic level. So... is it profitable? And fanfic, by its nature, is not allowed to be profitable (except, presumably, for the platform hosting it). Since it's a grey profit space (read not legitimate taxable income stream) its real hard to gather useful data. (Weirdly this means it's a lot like trying to study the sex work industry.) This probably also accounts for media neglect. 

Since there now are a few known fanfic authors made safe and golden (e.g. EL James, Cassandra Clare, Rainbow Rowell) there has been some attention paid to fic writers amongst Western academics, researchers and media but not a lot. The IP and copyright minefields make it a mess for everyone concerned.

For example, an academic who wanted to research fanfic would also have quote that fanfic and fair use is a pretty terrible space to sally into for people with a reputation to lose. Hollywood is v litigious. What academic can afford to lawyer-up to that degree?

This doesn't even take into account the transient nature of fanfic (not being finished, getting deleted suddenly, anonymously created, etc...)

The various BL producing Asian countries have a much different relationship with fanfic, IP, privacy, and copyright. Nitiman, for example, is a known adaptation of what was originally a wattpad(?) y-novel fanfic skinship piece featuring GOT7's JB & Jinyoung.

Which not to say some enterprising English department doc student isn't writing a massive PhD on fanfic right now.

Wouldn't that be great?

Because I genuinely believe that what's being written in places like AO3 is actually an entirely new genre and style of fiction. It doesn't follow 3 or 4 act structure, has different foundational beats, and specific systemic archetypes and tropes. It also tends to have an ENTIRELY different audience from (shall we call it) mainstream fiction.

As a literary genre, popular fanfic seems to have more in common with the serialized newspaper/magazine pieces (like Dickens, boys adventure stories, or the pulps) + the way long running superhero comic books and web series are handled + soap operas.

A seemingly spontaneous writing style has organically developed using serialization and hooking techniques, which now all the best fic writers employ, often unconsciously.

This combination of writing style and genre voice is entirely novel (joke) to fanfic. I believe this is a new kind of narrative, AS A narrative, and find it absolutely fascinating. But I am not obsessed enough to want to study it, too busy being distracted by BL.

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