Food: Our Shopping List

Alright, we can't really post our shopping list because uh. We don't have one. One of the not so nice aspects of taking a room rental rather than an apartment rental is that you usually do not have access to the kitchen and therefore are pretty restricted in what you can cook. We'll leave the discussion of accommodation rental for another time, though.

As such, the majority of our consumption comes from ready to eat foods and those bought from hawker centers and restaurants. Luckily, this gives us a pretty good idea of what to pay for a whole host of items since we're so incredibly cheap economical.

My prices and comparisons are going to be coming from an American (Ohioan, at that) standpoint, so do take them with a grain of salt. Also, this is a completely incomplete list. We just noticed we had a lot of pictures with food prices. Feel free to add to the list in the comments!

What you should buy:

• Fruit- Just do it. If you don't like fruit now, learn to accept it. It's fresh, cheap, and delicious and you'll never run out of selection. Maybe make an exception for durian. You don't have to like that.

(look at that now. envious, right?)

• Local ice cream- notice the emphasized local here, you'll see why later. You can find ice cream vendors pretty much anywhere and their prices (and selection, usually) are always the same. For $1 SGD (about 70 cents USD) you can get a big hunk of delicious ice cream whether you're in Orchard or Tampines. They offer to put the rectangular piece between wafers or pandan bread. Go with the bread, even if it seems odd, I promise you you'll enjoy it. You're allowed to avoid the durian, yam, and corn flavors.

• Local favorites- Your best bet of finding good eats is always to go with where the longest line of locals is hanging around. This is important as you'll see plenty of places crowded with foreigners you want to avoid. Aside from the price tag, if you don't see a local eating there it's probably not good food. Local favorites are the obvious chicken rice, along with prata, nasi lemak and...well, a lot of noodle dishes. These are easily accessible, convenient, and always delicious. And cheap. 

(this is going to be your favorite meal soon. milo and chicken rice, what more can you want?)

What you should avoid (usually):

• Yogurt- Of course with some hunting you may be able to find some yogurt that isn't going to make you bankrupt, but seriously, it's just not worth it here. For healthy foods you aren't going to have to hunt far, and your choices will definitely be fresher and less processed.

(this is PER YOGURT. seriously, find me anyone who's willing to pay $5.10 for a yogurt and i'll show you someone with no budget)

• Any other ice cream- Okay, I'm a hypocrite here. I can't stay away from Haagen Dazs (did you know it was spelled that way!? I had to google it) caramel biscuit and cream, but we are sure to make it only a very now and again treat. And at about $15 per carton, for good reason. I don't care how good it is, the local ice cream is just as good and, well, 1/15th the price.

 (i'm sorry, my love, i promise i'll eat plenty of you on the next trip to the States)

•  ALCOHOL- Sorry to drinkers out there, but it's not terribly feasible unless you're loose with money. Even after converting currency, prices for a bottle are at least double and can be triple or more per drink. You may get away by staying away from the city center or finding sales, but otherwise you can expect to pay about $15 for a shot.

(maybe you can be forgiven for one Singapore Sling from the Raffles Hotel. this pic's not by us, just so you know, we haven't been able to justify the $25 charge yet)

You'll be able to find a lot of value for your dollar over here as long as you know where to look. Of course, indulging in some pricey foods now and again is alright too, so I'll leave you now to go indulge in my overpriced Magnum Chocolate and Strawberry ice cream bar.