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I’m tired of people saying this. I was in Taipei recently and had to do a reality check, because obviously, the exchange rate means the food seems cheap, but I
by mbgerring 6mo ago
I’m tired of people saying this. I was in Taipei recently and had to do a reality check, because obviously, the exchange rate means the food seems cheap, but I checked again against local incomes, and yes, it turns out: Taipei has abundant cheap food relative to local incomes, beyond the wildest dreams of most American cities.
Americans need to stop telling ourselves this lie. We get so little for our money compared to other countries, and we should be furious.
- anthonypasq 6mo agoso you think restaurants are the most important indicator of wealth? Americans are rich in land and cars. Whether thats important to you is a different question. But I think the average resident of Taipei would trade their street food for a 3000 sqft house with a yard and a pool and a quiet neighborhood and 2 large luxury vehicles.
- mbgerring 6mo agoThe average American doesn’t have this. The average resident of Taipei would not trade their quality of life for the actually equivalent quality of life in the United States. Source: multiple Taiwanese immigrants I know personally, planning to return home for this reason.
- bombcar 6mo agoYou have to look at net migration flows and whether things are constrained.
- shimman 6mo agoOr let's not jump straight to the racist vibes and maybe think about how American agriculture is highly monopolized, uncompetitive, and operate deeply like a cartel. American agricultural/food practices is a legit reason why food in this country is 20-40% higher than elsewhere. Because capitalists want to squeeze every cent of profit before they fuck off into the abyss.
- matchbok 6mo ago[dead]
- deleted 6mo ago[deleted]