rice

1. When I eat asian food with Americans, an equal amount of rice and stir-fry is consumed.
When I ate asian food in the Philippines, I would be dished up with mostly rice while the stir-fry fought for space on my plate.

2. The people who depend on rice as an stomach-filler use it because it is inexpensive.

So what happens when a food staple, made so by its availability and cheapness, becomes "expensive?"