Rice

One strange thing I've noticed- rice is really expensive here! It didn't strike me as that expensive at first, but it actually is like half the cost of a cheap meal. Rice costs the same here as it does in the US. 40 pesos, or 1 dollar for one serving. The main meat of a meal will usually be 40 to 60 pesos. The rice is comparatively  a lot more expensive. Maybe it's a supply and demand thing? People here do love their rice. I've never seen anyone eat a meal without rice. Actually, you can get a noodle dish at Chinese places, but there are a lot more rice dishes around than noodle ones. People eat rice with soup, with burgers, at KFC (no biscuits- just rice)... And for whatever reason, they pay about the same amount as they do for meat. Go figure.