cheese (simple sandwich cheeses like cheddar and colby)
coffee beans (price per kilo)
tempeh
vegetarian ‘meats’
indian spices (cumin, coriander powder, mustard seeds, turmeric, red chili powder)
italian herbs (oregano, basil, thyme, etc…) fresh or only dried?
as you can see from this list, we are health food-oriented vegetarians who likes to cook.
we have seen these items mentioned on various web sites but have no sense as to prices and whether they are fully stocked or only available some of the time.
For availbility. Between Costco, Carrefour, some Indian stores near 101, Jason’s in 101, and various organic stores, I think you can find everything except “other pulses”, tempeh and veggie meats. I haven’t looked for “other pulses”, tempeh and veggie meats so they might exist in the stores I meantioned or one of the organic food chains, but I don’t know.
Go to an Indonesian store for Tempeh and some Indian herbs. There are some opposite the Taipei main station. These items are available i nthe city. Just not all in one place.
i am trying to figure out how much all these items will cost me so i can begin to work out my food budget.
around how much is a kilo of organic brown rice? and a kilo of lentils? oats? tempeh?
as for these faux ‘meats’, are they hard to find in shops? i read that many restaurants serve them, like in vietnam, but are they readily available in stores?
I am trying to figure out how much all these items will cost me so i can begin to work out my food budget.
around how much is a kilo of organic brown rice? and a kilo of lentils? oats? tempeh?
as for these faux ‘meats’, are they hard to find in shops? I read that many restaurants serve them, like in Vietnam, but are they readily available in stores?
thanks again for all your help. [/quote]
As with everything, it depends on the quality.
Ther is a very nice organic supermarket in Taipei called Tianhou, where you will find the stuff you need. Other organic places include Santa Cruz and Cottonfields chains.
Now, a kilo of brown rice depends. In a normal supermarket it may be 120 to 180 nts, me thinks, less on sale -and there are frequent sales. Especialized stores can have more “elegant” rice up to 370 nts. I think I have seen fancy Japanese ones for like 600 to 700 nts.
Same with faux meats.
As to the pulses and other exotics, well, being latin American I know every meal means running around the city putting together a list of ingredients. You can buy cheaper stuff at Trinity, the Indian supply store. Or expensive canned at City Super. Look them up.
Oats you can have 80nts ones or 300 nts ones. Your choice.
Food is not going to be as expensive as lodging, anyways. Rent will take the biggest bite out of your paycheck.
and you’ll find all that stuff, way cheaper and probably fresher than any of those supermarkets. It’s where locals go. There’s a very lively fresh market before 12PM too.
For example a kilo of brown rice is 42NT (25 for a 斤 which is 600g). No supermarket can touch that.
Just discovered that you can get 5 kinds of organic lentils, navy beans, pintos, white beans, dry peas,wild rice, and cornmeal (among other things) at http://www.droko.com . Much pricier than the states, but worth it to not have to hoof it around town or pay international shipping (local company). It’s just too bad they don’t carry spices. Hope this helps fellow lentil-seekers.
The area I mentioned has it all packed into an area smaller than the average US shopping mall, so no hoofing required Plus you get to rub shoulders with the locals, which is always a pleasure (unless it’s on the MRT and they’re ignoring the pleas over the PA to move to the back of the car! haha)
