The standard of living here in Taiwan is pretty low ... since Taipei is its capital, things are already considerably more expensive here than, say, southern Taiwan. The things that are most expensive are imported goods and foods, and many dairy products (cheese, milk). Yet hot foods are really, really cheap here and if you shop at the night markets, shoes, clothing and accessories can be had for not much at all.

I met up for dinner with a family friend last week and he told me that a Korean rice dish which would go for about $13 or $14 in Manhattan is about $4 in Taipei and about $2 in southern Taiwan. Incredible, huh? I have lunch at sit-down restaurants every afternoon with my friends, and the average meal is about $3 or $4, with the most expensive one I've had topping out at $6. And this $6 meal included: a full red curry entree with chicken, 2 kinds of vegetables, rice and a fried egg, an iced Thai tea and "dessert" (sweet red bean pudding). I once had a $2.67 meal that consisted of half a roast duck, rice, veggies and unlimited sweet tea. I've noticed that many restaurants here tend to place a fried egg over your entree (and it's not noted in the menu). Very curious.

Here are some of the things I've bought from the night markets recently: