Looked on several markets but can not find banana stem. So were to get apart from cutting someone his tree.

The whole banana tree is cut down when the fruit is harvested.

The stem is thrown away as the only use it has is making Kratongs for Loi Kratong.

The stem is thrown away as the only use it has is making Kratongs for Loi Kratong.

Well, that is apart from other use that it has: as food.

One Thai woman's advice on how to prepare it: https://praneesthaikitchen.com/tag/how-to-prepare-banana-stem-for-cooking/

I know Thais eat the flower, but, never heard of them eating the stem.

In fact, never heard of it anywhere in Africa, or Asia which I have traveled extensively.

We feed it to our pigs

Yeah, we have it here in the markets of the South, it's usual to be cooked in a chicken curry - it is seasonal, about this time of year when there is new growth and bananas are frequently harvested. Hard to find in the dry season.

It's one of my favorite vegetables - the flower / bud is really good too - if you steam or boil it, it tastes of raw mushroom.

I think you can substitute papaya leaf stem ( from trunk to leaf ) or the long lotus root.

I think the post that says that the only use is for Kratongs couldn't be further from the truth, it's one of the most useful plants, fruit, the trunk can be eaten, the leaves for packaging and cooking, wouldn't surprise me if you could make paper from the woody lower trunk.