How much was the cheapiest Biandang (bentobox) you have paid?

How much was the cheapiest Biandang (bentobox) you have paid? And what was its content?

The cheapiest bentobox I have seen was NT 65 and was pasta in a 7 Eleven.

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50 TWD biandang.
Dropped pin
https://maps.app.goo.gl/B3gVwkkTSxm4wpC97?g_st=ic

Price has been the same since 2009.
A bowl of rice, 3 side dishes (vegetable, tofu, the likes) and one main dish (pork belly, chicken leg, fish).

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That’s not a biandang. It’s a pasta from 7-Eleven.

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7-11 is not the cheapest. You pay a premium to have 24 hour access and (in many shops) an air conditioned place to sit and eat.

To really make the most of the situation, you can act like some folks in my neighbourhood, who buy the cheap stuff they like outside, then go to my local 7-11 and sit there and eat it.

Guy

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I don’t think any Taiwanese person would consider that a biandang. They refer to something very specific here, and usually come with 3-4 veggies and some meat on top of a bed of rice.

They are also fresh, so anything frozen or refrigerated from 7-11 probably wouldn’t be considered biandang.

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Given that the topic is “cheapest biandang,” think that the word “fresh” does not always apply here. I’ve seen frozen veggies reheated and tossed into the mix, along with the grimmest of sugary processed sauces slathered about. :face_vomiting:

Guy

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I used to eat rice with braised pork and mushrooms at this place, it’s 30NTD. I think it’s Michelin rated:

施家鮮肉湯圓
02 2585 7655
https://maps.app.goo.gl/i5XF1qp68RgKHVMu9?g_st=ic

If you don’t consider that biandang you could ask them to add an egg on it

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To echo @jimipresley : that is not a “biandang.”

Guy

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Ok, ok. My bad

I was responding to @jimbob132 and not you. :joy:

Guy

But I´m the poster

That’s also not a biandang, even with an egg. That would be considered 燴飯 or rice bowl (same category as luroufan, and one step below biandang). $30 is about right for rice bowls.

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I think he was talking about @jimbob132’s braised pork and mushrooms. That also isn’t a biandang.

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50nt all over Taiwan. Literally just look for the number 50. Although there are less and less of these.

On a related note what’s your cheapest ever hotel? I once did RMB3 in the grasslands of Tibetan Sichuan.

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You can still get a bandang at 7-11. Veggies, meat, rice in the characteristic biandang box.

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40, not good. if a person goes to a local cheapy and asks for no meat (“vegetarian”) they are often much cheaper.

I usually pay 60~90 now at places with better hygiene and less food poisoning. still some cheapy ones around though.

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Are we only talking about Biandang in Taiwan? The original post didn’t clarify

Assuming inside Taiwan you can also go to a Monk’s temple for lunch, they welcome everyone and typically it’s free

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Good point. But as they say, there is no such thing as a free lunch.

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What other country sells biandangs? It’s a Taiwanese thing. They don’t even sell them in Hong Kong or China. Nobody knows what a biandang is there.

Or are you just talking about boxed lunches generally?

Boxed lunches in India are a bit similar. They sometimes serve them in metal trays.