Main cast: Ton Tonhon Tantivejakul (Kong) and Srida Pauvimol (Aunty Jong)
Director: Songsak Mongkolthong

Ah yes, the ever popular trope of the secret ingredient of an irresistible dish. Whether it’s To Serve Man, Specialty of the House, or Thailand’s very own Meat Grinder, this premise pops up now and then, and unfortunately for the obnoxious protagonist of Lunch, it lands right into the cafeteria of his school. 

Kong goes by Click, the “Hardcore Truth-Seeker”, online. His YouTube channel sees him basically humiliating his victims in the name of “the truth”—in short, your average edgy online influencer—and his latest target is Aunty Jong. This woman’s noodles weren’t exactly anyone’s favorite… until she recently switched to a spicy pork bone broth, and all of a sudden, everyone can’t get enough of her noodles. He’s determined to find out the secret ingredient of the broth.

Unfortunately, Kong doesn’t just have a slap-worthy face, he is slap-worthy as his method of investigation is horrendously dumb.

Okay, so he launches a bullying campaign that basically ruins the woman’s business, but that just makes him an asshole. What makes him dumb is how he would break into dark and scary places armed with only a camera like he has some kind of super powers that can protect him from baddies. Spoiler: he doesn’t, he’s just a loud and irritating pipsqueak. 

Aside from a protagonist making me torn between poking my eyes or eardrums out because his face and voice are equally grating, this episode has a fatal flaw: it treats its audience to be barely smarter than an average eight-year old. Hence, the opening scene spoils the fact that Aunty Jong isn’t an innocent victim as she seems to be, followed by a voiceover that explains the premise shortly before Kong himself explains the premise to a live audience. 

Really, this episode is so convinced that I need to have everything spelled out to me a few times. 

Also, Kong is allowed to run wild for way too long, and it is painful to sit through this episode. 

Then, it delivers a final insult by having a very stupid final scene that sees the villain blowing away their cover for no reason other than to give the episode one last, and very stupid, scare. 

The premise of a very special meat in an irresistible dish is always a fun one, but this episode is botched completely in its execution. When it’s not annoying me with the lead actor getting on my nerves in ways that I never imagined possible until now, it’s patronizing me.

All in all, this episode can go eat dirt.