That is true—the Indian dishes I listed will individually cost more than the NT$200 set you mentioned upthread, likely something like NT$280 each, at least in Taipei.
Guy
Oooooh, that kind of curry. I was imagining something else.
Guy
And it’s tiny portions.
It’s actually pretty good for a quick lunch or supper.
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I’m more of a hunter-gatherer, not an agrarian.
I only eat out.
Besides, I don’t have a kitchen.
Yeah, you made me hungry and I actually just ordered jeera aloo and matar rice on Uber Eats and it cost just over $300.
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They saw you coming and rubbed their grubby paws together.
Those are the real hunter-gatherers.
My goal is to make sure those outfits stay in business.
I love Indian food and have resigned myself to the higher price point. The really cheap Indian food in Taiwan is terrible!
Guy
I haven’t come across cheap Indian food anywhere in the world except Dubai, and it was also terrible.
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Glad to hear Taiwan has company!
Now you got me started. Just ordered some aloo gobi. 
Guy
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OK, this aloo gobi was not cheap. But the granular complexity of the masala is incredible. Love these guys!
Guy
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I hear the cheap Indian food in India is not great.
That looks good. The one I usually order is more just solid potatoes and cauliflower, and not much curry.
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They have lunchboxes at various prices. 50 is the cheapest I seen but those ones have so little food I’d have to eat 3 of them to be full. You have somewhat better ones at 65 and 70, all the way up to 110 depending on what/where you get. Then you have the more “premium” lunchbox chains where it costs the same as a big mac meal at mcdonalds.
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Yes, I too expected a dry version. This gravy-laden version I received is however about as good as I could have hoped.
Damn you Jimi for getting me sidetracked like that!
Guy
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Not nasi lemak.
Rice used in everyday cooking is plain long grain rice. Nasi lemak is around, but it is usually available in special warungs or restaurants or is often used for celebrations or ceremonial meals. Ditto nasi kuning, which is like nasi lemak but deeply yellow with turmeric.
Sometimes in remote places you get rice mixed with some red rice, corn or (non sweet) sweet potato.
There is a variation called nasi kucing (“cat rice” because it would only be enough to satisfy a cat) which is just a handful of rice with a bit of veg, chili sauce and maybe salted fish or tempeh. It would usually be about NTD10 or less. I wouldn’t even call it a snack, but for many people it might be all they have for a meal.
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Thank you for the helpful primer.
I do need to get my self down to Indonesia some time. Your posts have cemented my resolve to do so.
Guy
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There is a “Little Indonesia” close to Taipei Main Station. The food there is not cheap though…
In the Shade: Exploring Taipei's 'Little Indonesia' - The News Lens International Edition.
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Specialty food always expensive.
Vietnamese food, Indonesian food, Thai food… obviously more expensive than your friendly neighborhood A’i biandang.
Vegan, vegetarian, halal, kosher food…. Obviously more expensive…
French food, Italian food… even more expensive, I guess.
When I first arrived I stood in line for a $50NTD bento in Sanchong as I thought if the locals are standing in line it must be good. Was not a fan.
I’ve found you kind of need to get into the $80-$90 range before I would describe it as “edible” and $120 before I’ve found “decent” (general rule, there are exceptions)
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the few I have had (in vancouver) were essentially more bland, less variety, probably healthier and 4x the price. Less fresh in the sense of farm to table, more fresh in the sense wasnt cooked and sitting in the heat for half a day.
As I remember I had a few chicken ones, a fish one (it was salmon, so that isnt common in Taiwan, but fish is) and a pork chop one. Veggies were the saddest part in canada. But even here I have seen the typical frozen corn/cubed carrots /pea combo (nasty!). Otherwise the veggies were more like tofu, broccoli, cauliflower and all the same common stuff.
For me, the absolute best thing with a lunch box in Taiwan is chayote greens. One of my favorites! The mushroom varieties here are also lightyears ahead of the west.
In Myanmar everything was way more oily. sometimes absurdly so. very bean heavy as well. More of a logistics issue for fragile green leafy stuff, so a lot more veg that can travel. but I was in the dry region.
Japan I feel is fairly similar to taiwan everytime i ate it. Just more (needless and wasteful) presentation.