In your experience, what common US household items are almost impossible to find in Taiwan for a reasonable price? (I’m including items that can be shipped to Taiwan but cost an arm and a leg to do so.) For me, it’s:
Non-stick Cooking Oil Spray
Coffee k-cups
Sugar substitutes (Splenda, Equal, Sweet-n-low, Stevia)
Garlic Powder
Instant Pot
Planters roasted peanuts
BBQ sauce
Hydrogen peroxide
Mountain Dew soda
Raw chicken leg quarters
OTC meds: Dristan nasal spray, Pepto Bismal, Tums antacid tablets, Alka-Seltzer, canker sore liquid (Kanka), anti-snore nasal strips.
These can all be found very easily and for not too much money.
Non-stick Cooking Oil Spray - cooking supply store. Not sure the price of it though I think around 100NTD
Garlic Powder - Cooking supply store huge thing for 150-200NTD
Instant Pot - These are actually hard to find if you want the brand instant pot. Just a tip it’s currently at Costco.
Planters roasted peanuts - I think my local PXmart has them
BBQ sauce - City Super
Hydrogen peroxide - Chemical Supply store in Taipei
Mountain Dew soda - Costco
Watties baked beans
Paua fritters
Pineapple chunks
Hangi
You don’t have to have the brand “instant pot”. Similar things can be bought at Carrefour, just not Instant Pot brand…
Sugar Substitute in nearly all supermarkets
I get anything I can’t find on shopee to
The olive oil in Taiwan is suspect. I don’t think it’s real.
US also has this issue. I never liked olive oil all that much until I had quality olive oil. Now I have to have the quality stuff.
peroxide in almost any pharmacy
bbq sauce in wellcome / carrefour
We’ve used 2-3 different brands of virgin olive oil, bought locally, and I don’t suspect it’s not (virgin) olive oil. I was fooled by fancy wrapping and bought olive oil that wasn’t virgin and it tasted different from what I’m used to.
Lots and lots of other coffee options are out there.
It’s a chance to leave the “k-cups” behind. : )
Guy
I’ve become a olive oil snob after living in Italy. I used to not care, but I’ve gotten pretty picky after learning about olive oil and going to many tastings.
I am still frustrated that Cinnabon closed down its Taiwanese stores.
Makes sense. I guess they would know their olives and oils over there. Haven’t developed much of a palate for it since the health/nutritive benefits are what caused me to make it part of my diet.
Olive oil i can.understand.
Taiwan does have a lot of, for lack of a better word, craft food producers. Specialty stuff. Truth be told, taiwan is a nation of marketers and middlemen, so quality food is actually quite expensive.
For oil, we like these guys. Have met them at trade fairs and chatted, Seem better than most others.
https://www.oilicious.com.tw/
Lots of things are similar.
Though stevia is easy in Taiwan. That said, the general trade route is from China via korea and singapore through chinese medicine dealers, so the quality is crap. You can buy directly from farmers, as with most food, but will likely need to know some mandarin to work it out.
Deodorant, ironical shitty hipster beer, cannabis.
A ham with the bone like you’d buy in the US for 1USD per pound. Or a turkey for 25cents a pound. A brisket or chuck roast. Sour cream for 1USD. Corn tortilla flour (hit or miss). Being able to drink water straight from the kitchen sink.
Things that are making an appearance here now: kale at a reasonable price from Yes brand at Jason’s, good unflavored yogurt, beans from Dr. Ko like pinto, black, kidney and garbanzos.
I brought some of my kitchen equipment like the pressure cooker, comal, tortilla press, and food processor. My spare room is my kitchen lab because kitchens are tiny here.