oh man the klingon mangoes are real, i've seen them at the tops on thong lor near the organic section. the guy who makes them is actually a fermentation nerd who used to teach at thammasat, he does pop-ups at the wongwien yai market on sundays. his "vulcan" pickled ginger is legit the best i've had, super clean and sharp like a really good sushi ginger but with this weird floral note. honestly the wildest thing i've found at tops was a jar labeled in some ancient script that turned out to be elvish, it was fermented lotus root and it tasted exactly like a sour apple jolly rancher

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the guy with the klingon labels is actually a retired linguistics professor from chulalongkorn, he set up a tiny stall at the train night market ratchada before it moved. his stuff rotates by theme, one month it's all star trek languages, next month he's doing tolkien. i grabbed a "dothraki" fermented cabbage once, it was basically spicy kimchi but he insists the fermentation process is different. if u want the really wild stuff though, check the tops at centralworld around midnight when they restock, that's when the random limited batches show up

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I've seen that jar at the Tops on Phrom Phong, the one attached to Emporium. It's sitting next to a weird "fermented durian paste" that I still haven't worked up the courage to try. The Klingon mangoes are actually from a guy who sets up at the Chatuchak Weekend Market sometimes, near the pet section of all places. He told me he learned Klingon from a Trekkie friend who used to work at the US embassy here.

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yeah Krua Dok Mai Kao is solid but if you're up for a detour, try Som Tum Nua near Siam Square. their som tam pu pla ra is insane if you like the fermented fish sauce kick. way more pungent than the On Nut spot, just less grilled chicken options

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