Inflation is the rate at which prices of goods and service increase in an economy over a period of time.
In the art of plain speaking, a tiny slice of kueh wajek (sweet glutinous rice) at a certain local bakery cost 90 cents in early 2000s.
Today, the sweet morsel snack cost $1.50 at the same shop. Same taste, more expensive.
So we scanned through a Quora thread on what kind of food can you buy with $1 (USD) in various parts of the world.
We picked the top suggestions from locals.
TURKEY: Chicken doner (wrap) from a street stall where thick slabs of seasoned meat in the shape of an inverted cone roast slowly on a rotisserie.
JAPAN: A variety of Onigiri (rice ball) from grilled salmon to braised pork ribs from a convenience store. Also, Tonkatsu (breaded deep fried pork cutlet) sandwich which is Japanese fast food.
SAUDI ARABIA: Four packets of Khubz (flat bread). Turkish snack çiğ köfte, known as seasoned raw meatballs in English, that has been served for centuries. Çiğ köfte is raw meat as it was originally prepared using raw ground beef or lamb combined with spices and herbs.
YANGON, MYANMAR: 2 bowls of Mohinga (noodles in fish broth) from a local tea shop. A can of Myanmar beer at a local supermarket.
INDIA: Dosa with sambar (pancake made from rice flour and ground pulses served with lentils). Gol-gappe which is a common street snack made of flour, spiced water, onions, potatoes and chickpeas. Also, Idli (rice cake) served with sambar. Lassi, a cooling yogurt drink that’s popular throughout India. It comes in two varieties: sweet and salt.
WUHAN, CHINA: Youtiao known as deep fried Chinese breadstick. Commonly eaten for breakfast and goes best with soybean milk.
PHILIPPINES: Taho is a popular street snack made of silken tofu, sago pearl and brown sugar syrup.
CAMBODIA: Kuy Teav, noodle soup consisting of fried noodles with pork stock and toppings. Babor rice porridge typically eaten at breakfast.
Although Singapore is ranked as the world’s most expensive city for expats for a fourth straight year, according to Worldwide Cost of Living for 2017 report by the Economist Intelligence Unit, there are plenty of simple fare you can find with a dollar, which is about $1.40 after conversion today.
Plain roti prata, IKEA’s hotdog bun or ice cream, red bean pau, goreng pisang, tau sar piah, tau huay, curry puff from most machik stalls, two 500ml drinking water from supermarkets, a cup of Kopi O from a coffee shop, and the list goes on.
Whichever part of the world you come from, share with us what kind of food can you buy with $1 in your country.
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