Something Fishy

When I hopped in the taxi today, I was immediately bombarded with a funky odor emanating from the front seat. Was the smell left over from the last passenger's groceries or hadn't the driver showered in days? After chatting with the cabby for a while, however, I learned that he had just eaten somtum plaa-ra (green papaya salad with fermented fish) in his taxi. Granted, this is a staple in the diet of many taxi drivers, including this one, who hail from Isaan, the northeastern region of Thailand. But does he really need to eat it in his cab?