Rice is more expensive in Taiwan than western countries in general. Pretty weird choice .
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Where do you buy your rice? We buy our rice from what I guess I can call a
Rice station.
Itās the ground floor of a family home and
They sell rice and other grains in bulk.
There are a big variety of choices available. You state how much you want and they will measure it out for you.
I asked for the cheap stuff, the local stuff
äøęē±³ of the local stuff is around 280NT.
It was cheaper, the price is still acceptable.
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You donāt need to tell me how to buy rice and you arenāt the only one who has lived in the countryside here 
.
My in-laws grow rice amongst other things .
Iām just sayingā¦correctly, that rice isnāt cheaoer here than other countries. I also know that there are many grades and varieties of rice and huge variation in prices. Taitung rice and organic rice being more expensiveā¦
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Rice in western countries are terrible. Taiwan has better rice.
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Does it make a big difference? Iām guessing the Taitung rice is supposed to be from less polluted farmland? (I mostly buy Thai jasmine rice, where āmostlyā means āwhen I can be bothered acting like I live in Asiaā.)
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Assuming thatās true, which Iām skeptical of, think hard and you might be able to identify a reason for it.
According to the wife and many locals and Japanese , yes!
I like Thai jasmine rice but Iāve bought some of bad quality before, just like anything you want fresh rice, well stored.
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It takes a while to learn to tell the difference. For me it doesnāt matter much. Sometimes, you get hit with a nice nutty flavor
As for my wife. She didnāt like American rice. Not even from the "Chinese labeled brands which should appeal to the Chinese / Taiwanese community.
She likes Taiwanese rice specifically Southern Taiwanese riceā¦
On a trip to the US we stopped for some comfort food at a Chinese market to get some President brand instant noodles.
She opened it with great anticipation, added the hot water and dug in.
She said something was strange. After searching the packaging which looked identical to Taiwan, we found that this was made in China.
Some people just like local food.
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Taiwanese rice is terribleā¦completely flavorless. In Western countries, you can buy rice from anywhere you want, and few people would choose rice from Taiwan. Why eat insipid Taiwanese rice when you can eat basmati from India or jasmine rice from Thailand?
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Yeah, thatās my logic too - I much prefer Indian or Thai style rice. (I also canāt really be bothered trying to choose between 60 different brands of Taiwanese rice when Iām in the supermarket, as opposed to one or two brands of jasmine rice - the former puts me in some kind of decision paralysis)
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It doesnāt really matter which brand you choose as theyāre all pretty much equally flavorless. The only really important criterion for rice here is that all-important QQ texture that people value more than life itself. Not to say that texture isnāt important, but Taiwan is the only country Iāve been to where texture is more important than flavor.
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Basmati rocks.
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What Taiwanese call ābullet rice.ā Itās like eating a bullet.
Unlike east Asian rice, it doesnāt stick together, and it flies all over your table.
What do you mean? Taiwan is in East Asia.
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Iām talking about Thai and Indian.
By the way, you can turn Taiwanese rice into Thai or Indian rice. Just let it sit out for a couple of days.
Thailand is Southeast Asia, India is South Asia.
The shape is different too, no? Are you thinking of sticky rice?
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In the Philippines neither one is important. Iāve seen people wade through a huge amorphous lump of the stuff with every sign of enjoyment. Rice breeds there are selected exclusively for yield and response to chemical fertilizers.
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If you leave Taiwanese rice out for a couple of days, itāll harden and taste like Indian rice.
Rice isnāt supposed to be flavorful. Thatās why you donāt eat it by itself.
So why are Indian and Thai varieties selected for flavour? Whatās the point of eating it if it doesnāt even taste of anything?
But people do. Theyāre prediabetic. Theyāre compelled to eat it. Itās an irresistible biological drive; thatās why they donāt care what it tastes or looks like.
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