Since I'm originally from the US, I joined that site. $1.50/day is just over 9.3RMB according to oanda.com, and the RMB tends to be pretty stable with the US$. The average person in China spends about 8RMB/day on food, while like most in the capital, I usually spend loads more! I'm not a big fan of white rice/pasta etc, but this month is a kick in the pants to explore more food options in the markets near where I live. I'll be posting some of the recipes I'm using, costs, etc. starting tonight on the fundraising blog. Buying non-taxed (Chinese) products is key.
Generally: lots of beans and lentils, eggs and tofu and oats to come in the diet this month, fresh/overripe fruit & veg in season. (Just had homemade wheat/oatmeal bread for lunch w/homemade hummus, all portioned to add up to 3.5RMB.) Making wheat bread & tortillas from scratch rather than buying them. Food basics in China are pretty cheap, but the western stuff I like isn't.
Since moving to more developed places (after Cambodia), my lifestyle's gotten bloated and I take a lot for granted. This gives me the chance to scale back for a month, get off the sugar high, and look for other ways to appreciate daily life. I never do diets, but for fundraising, this is a good challenge. A reminder what it's like to be hungry, and what my students there experience every day.