Ladyboy Prem -

Growing up as a boy named Prasert, Prem knew by the age of eight that she saw the world through different eyes. While the other boys wanted to play takraw, Prem wanted to arrange the flowers for the temple fair. "My father didn't speak to me for three months when I came home wearing his mother’s pha sin (traditional skirt)," Prem tells me over a bowl of her famous tom yum noodles.

The nickname "Ladyboy Prem" was not one she chose. It was given to her by a traveling vlogger two years ago. The video went viral—not because it was scandalous, but because it was wholesome. ladyboy prem

Prem is currently saving up to buy a small plot of land to open a real restaurant. She wants to call it "Prasert’s Heart" —using her birth name to honor her past and her new name to define her future. Growing up as a boy named Prasert, Prem

Prem replied, "It is the same as being a woman in the countryside. I wake up, I worry about the rain ruining the crops, I pray at the temple, and I hope my noodles make you happy. The 'ladyboy' part is just the garnish. The soup is the real story." The nickname "Ladyboy Prem" was not one she chose

The vlogger asked, "What is it like being a ladyboy in the countryside?"