Butterscotch chips! I can’t make half of my favorite winter treats here. I saw them once on Shoppee for $500 but I don’t think that’s worth it.
(should this thread be re-tagged to ‘where can I find…’?)
Aside from the pineapple chunks which we have at our local RTmart, none of the other 3 are common US household items.
Boston but pork. Yes I know it’s 梅花肉，but it’s very expensive. In the US they’re often on special for 1.80 a pound. Here it’s 3x more expensive.
Chicken leg quarters, you can buy them but they’re anywhere from 30nt to 80nt a piece depending on where you buy them. In the US it’s 5 dollars for 10 pounds.
Lean pork is very cheap here, often cheaper than in the US.
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When you say, “difficult to find”, do you actually mean “not stocked at 7-11”?
because most of them are available somewhere.
… and the reason? Well, actually, the world is not all America. People have different needs, wants, desires, and supply chains in Taiwan.
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You can import organic olive oil in tins from iHerb, made by an American company. Last time I checked mass manufactured EV Spanish olive oil bought locally was still more expensive!
You mean like loins and other very lean cuts?
They taste like crap
They are common in the US, but not in Taiwan. Although you can get them.
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Good points. many things, especially raw food type items, are available here. Certain thigs, especially animal related, can be niche here and far more expensive. To be fair, ultra cheap chickken legs and the like can be lumped in the ultra anti moral category that taiwanese pork falls into. Given the dent in the environment and the massively anti moral issue of such sub wholesale meat prices, these things in literally every aspect should be looked down upon. Not because the actual price, but because the actual production consequences. Certain things should be eaten less and such heroic selflessness applauded for. This doesnt take into account health benefits or risks in the sense of direct consumption, but more of a wider spectrum.
He wāhine, he whenua, ka ngaro te tangata.
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That was when they came out with the new Taiwan version. I tastes like the piss of a lemony horse.
That’s what they sell at Costco. The original is banned in Taiwan. Something about an emulsifier.
Many pharmacies have it (not Watsons, actual pharmacies). Ask for it by the Chinese name or the chemical name. You may have to get the actual pharmacist because often the staff won’t know what it is.
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Don’t take things too seriously. 
A damn grapefruit spoon!
The wife worked for an olive oil importer in Taiwan.
There is a huge amount of fraud in the worldwide olive oil industry, just like almost the entire food industry (I’m also personally familiar with fraud in the tea industry and also some meat products, mostly it’s about masking the country of origin. Often this fraud is legal actually , just highly unethical ).
Shipping oil from Turkey to Italy in big containers and repacking is common and they are also Italian companies,some big brands in Taiwan. You can have containers or shipments just passing through ports to change the shipping documents. Sometimes they will bottle there or they will bottle in Taiwan, everything is negotiable with many traders/ vendors . What is extra virgin…virgin…Again absolute minefield. I guess there are brands that have a rock solid reputation but do your research and be prepared to pay big money.
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One of the consumer authorities did testing of all the major imported Italian and Spanish brands years ago in my home country. They found a good number of them were blended with lower price vegetable oils and the like. I’m sure this stuff still goes on.
A lot of the brands you see at the supermarket in Taiwan are big pan Asian conglomerates, that are just importing and doing all the bottling and marketing. I’m not sure how much scrutiny is applied to their labelling.
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Exactly! And to be fair, brands that have gone through the hoops to play legally AND maintain their high quality totally deserve the high price. Making food products in taiwan legally, without corruption or rich family members backing them have my highest respect! Taiwan actually has very strict rules, sometimes contradicting themselves. And without any government competence and support. The companies that suffer from food scandals are rarely the offenders and always the small business busting ass to do thing right and constantly getting shat on by the authorities. Such people working to death to provide healthy food are as important as doctors, and quite frankly deserve the same amount of respect.
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Remember reading a few years back that some consumer agency/organization tested the olive oil sold at most of the major US retailers. Costco’s was the only one that was the real deal. The others were all adulterated to some extent. I trust Costco not to stock shit. I get all my olive oil from them. Their Kirkland brand is reasonably priced and does the trick.
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Fucking Tums… I have found a substitute that works though. They’re yellow chewable tablets. You can find them at the mom-n-pop pharmacies.
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Have always had stomach issues. In high school, I would go through a roll a day, minimum.
I’ve also found/been prescribed alternatives in Taiwan, but that don’t measure up to the original.
Other OTC items I order through eBay.
There’s a generic version made in Taiwan with the same active ingredient. Only 60 or 70nt. I use it in one nostril every night in winter. Only way I can breathe at night.