Bangkok University's Secret Society?

The "secret society" at Bansomdej is almost certainly the Cheer Club and the older student activity groups that run freshie initiation. Nothing occult, but the rituals are real and have been passed down since the teacher training days. If you want actual texture, skip the library and go to the small shrine near the main gate on Itsaraphap Road, the one with the old bell. Staff and alumni leave offerings there before big events and the older janitors will tell you stories about it if you buy them a coffee at the shop across the soi. That's where the genuine lore lives, not in any scroll.

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Worth knowing that Bansomdej has two campuses and the conference crowd usually ends up at the old one on Itsaraphap, which is the one with any real history. The lore I've actually heard doesn't involve a society at all, more a handshake tradition among the naksueksa gao who came through the teacher college before it became a university, and they mostly surface around the annual wai khru ceremony rather than any secret meetings. Your best shot at hearing it firsthand is the alumni office near the front, they keep old photo albums and the retired staff there love a curious visitor. Just don't call it a secret society to their face, they'll laugh.

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Bansomdej sits right on the Thonburi side, and that patch of Itsaraphap has its own kind of gravity. The "society" you're hearing about might just be the naksueksa gao network, alumni from the teacher college days who still show up for ceremonies and keep certain traditions going. If you want a real lead, walk down to the Wang Doem area near the canal, there's a small amulet market that's been there longer than most of the faculty buildings. The older sellers there remember everything, and they'll talk if you're not in a rush.

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Krua Dok Mai Kao is solid but I've always found their som tam a bit tame on the pla ra. If you want the real funky version, try the shophouse spots along Soi Udomsuk 26, near the night market end. They pound it fresh with fermented fish that'll clear your sinuses, and it's like 60 baht. Different style from the On Nut places, more Lao-leaning.

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for som tam specifically i'd say the Isaan spots in Chatuchak are underrated, weekdays only though since the weekend crowd ruins the vibe. there's a stall near gate 2 that does tam pa with fermented bamboo shoots, super sour and funky, not something you see much in On Nut. if you're already heading north for Or Tor Kor anyway its worth the detour.

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honestly the som tam at Krua Dok Mai Kao is good but what got me hooked is their nam prik pla raa dip with the raw veggies, that funk hits way harder than the papaya does. think most people sleep on it cuz they just order the som tam and gai yang. also pro tip, go before noon on weekdays, after that teh pla ra gets milder cuz they batch it for the lunch rush

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