Does anyone have any idea where I could find some miso paste for soup? My friend who is a Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctor said that light miso is great for neutralizing the affects of air pollution. I hear there is going to be a huge decline in the air quality come March and I have already been feeling the affects the pollution since last month.

I was also wondering where I could get my hands on some cat nip and rosemary essential oil. I have heard it is a great mosquito repellant as I hate the toxicity of the deet based stuff. Last night I was eaten alive having only spent two hours out side.

Thanks!

Does anyone have any idea where I could find some miso paste for soup? My friend who is a Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctor said that light miso is great for neutralizing the affects of air pollution. I hear there is going to be a huge decline in the air quality come March and I have already been feeling the affects the pollution since last month.

I was also wondering where I could get my hands on some cat nip and rosemary essential oil. I have heard it is a great mosquito repellant as I hate the toxicity of the deet based stuff. Last night I was eaten alive having only spent two hours out side.

Thanks!

Don't know about the former but for the rosemary try the Body Shop, Airport Plaza. They should have it.

Rimping did have a few Japanese miso pastes, and a Thai one as well.

Sorry, but only deet works. Sorry.

Does anyone have any idea where I could find some miso paste for soup? My friend who is a Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctor said that light miso is great for neutralizing the affects of air pollution.

A gas mask might actually work.

Beg to differ... In terms of skin coverings, there's a Thai non-DEET spray product available at local grocery stores. I buy mine at Foodland on Soi 5.

It comes in two "flavors" in similar bottles -- one with DEET and a different color bottle, and the other with a green color/clear plastic bottle labeled "pure green" in English that has no DEET and instead is 20% citronella grass oil.

I'm sure the DEET works great, but I too would rather avoid the chemical stuff as much as possible. And thus far, the citronella grass spray has worked just fine -- maybe not as strong or as long lasting as DEET, but well enough to keep me reasonably protected for evenings outside. After you get used to it, it kinda smells nice.

PS - was married with Japanese lady in the past, and have various allergies, but never heard of miso paste as an allergy and/or air pollution remedy.

In fact, just the opposite. Some of the more common allergies, and ones people often don't know they have, are food allergies. And allergy to soy products, including miso, is one of the more common ones. When I finally went for a full-spectrum range of allergy tests as a result, my skin reaction to soy products shot off the scale, much to my amazement and surprise.

So at least, before you go down the miso road, get a full range allergy test that includes food allergies. And make sure soy is not among them, if you haven't already done so. When I saw some of the best allergists in Los Angeles, none of them ever mentioned miso as an allergy or pollution remedy, FYI.

Rimping did have a few Japanese miso pastes, and a Thai one as well.

Sorry, but only deet works. Sorry.

I hear there is going to be a huge decline in the air quality come March

Thanks!

In Chiang Mai? A decline in air quality? Puleeezz.....

(Am I getting cynical in my old age or are the changes just coming quicker than I can adjust to?)

Miso from "Station" Japanese supermarket in Chiang Mai Land.

I was also wondering where I could get my hands on some cat nip and rosemary essential oil. I have heard it is a great mosquito repellant as I hate the toxicity of the deet based stuff. Last night I was eaten alive having only spent two hours out side.

Thanks!

I'm sure there are other options. But re essential oils, I found a small open-air shop inside the Food Hall in the basement of Siam Paragon that was stocking like the 1 oz bottles of the various different oils. I was looking for, and they had eucalyptus, though it was a bit pricey compared to the USA. I'm pretty sure they also would have had rosemary, since they had at least a dozen different varieties. No name that I can recall... Just a small counter and table in the drugs/health section. I had to ask and a store staff pointed me to the right lady and location.

Sorry, I know it's BKK, not CM.... just in case...

It comes in two "flavors" in similar bottles -- one with DEET and a different color bottle, and the other with a green color/clear plastic bottle labeled "pure green" in English that has no DEET and instead is 20% citronella grass oil.

I think you mean "Sketolene".

Yellow one says 20% Deet, green one I can't read as my GF uses just about anything to test the shades of her nail polishes!

Both are in white non-clear plastic bottles.

Both have a lemon-like smell.

Available in many 7/11s', drugstores, supermarkets, departmentstores, well just about anywhere!

Sorry, don't manage to insert the pictures.

Sketolene yellow

Sketolene green

Essential oils are available from Herb Basics on Thapae Road and Ratchadamnoen Road

Never heard of catnip oil - or maybe the OP just meant rosemary oil (agree with the suggestion of Herb Basics for that) and catnip plants? Khamtien plant market (behind Lotus on the Superhighway) might have the plants - but you'll need to know the Thai name for it (which I don't) to have a chance of tracking it down. The non-culinary lemon grass (taller and coarser/leafier than the culinary variety) is also good as a mossie-repellent - cut across the stem and rub the end on your skin.

Catnip seeds to grow the plant are available from AFM - most Rimping's and some other stores stock their seeds....... and their main office is near to Chiang Mai (on the road to Mae Jo, if I remember right). Difficult to get the seeds to flourish. They also stock various lavender seeds - plants also good against mossies.

No mosquito repellent works 100% for everyone - but the all-natural citronella-based spray from Arun Thai (www.arunthainatural.com) works better than most and smells nice enough to use like an eau-de-cologne.

With regards to the mossies.....

Read this......

And read all of it.

Essential oils

Hi,

A selection of essential oils is now available from health food shops, chemists and by mail order. When you are buying them, be careful to choose essential oils. You can get more information from www.essentialoilsonline.co.uk.