Probiotics galore!

If you've been paying attention, more and more emphasis is being put on the need for regular consumption of fermented foods -- foods rich in probiotics.

There is ample evidence that ancestral diets from many different regions included fermented foods, from hunter-gatherers eating the stomach contents of large herbivores, to contemporary diets that still include ancestral traditions -- from sauerkraut to kimchee.

Southeast Asia is one of the fortunate places that still has fermented foods -- Thai, Burmese, most hill tribe cultures, Chinese and others all have a place for fermented foods.  In Thai, this is food that is "ดอง" or "dtong" -- cabbage, paak kanat, etc.

You can get it in most markets, as that is your best bet for really good stuff.

Or you can go to the Friday morning market on Soi Islam, in the night bazaar.  You turn down the soi with the large mosque on it, and it will be on your right.  The market is huge, lots of Burmese and tribal folks selling all sorts of highland and exotic vegetables.

And while you can get ดอง food in a number of places, one vendor stands out for her variety and quantity.  I'll be going back for a taste test of EVERYTHING she sells.