He pivoted to "brown beans" and a few pieces of stockfish, traditional staples that were fast becoming luxuries. The Final Tally

A single bag of rice, which used to be a standard purchase, now ate up nearly half his budget.

At the butcher’s stall, the reality of the "200K" limit hit hard.

He grabbed a few liters of vegetable oil and a crate of eggs.

He hesitated, watching a mother nearby haggle over the price of a single egg. He settled for a smaller bag of local rice to save room for proteins. The Protein Pivot