Nam pla (1955)

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VILLAGE LIFE IN MODERN THAILAND
by John E. deYoung
Institute of Asiatic Studies, Univ. of California
Bekeley: University of California Press
1955
Fourth printing, 1966

Pg. 101:
   In the Chao Phya river system of the Menam Plain the annual upstream migration of a tiny fish of the cyprinid species, known to the peasants as _pla soi_, is caught by the millions in scoop and dip nets.  When the _pla soi_ are running, every household along the waterways spends most of its time netting the tiny fish.  Much of the yearly catch of _pla soi_ is fermented into the familiar _nam pla_ paste, a basic ingredient in curry in the central plains.

(If Jesse doesn't have a favorite Thai restaurant, I can pick one--ed.)