I take 50mg micronized DHEA/day. It's in capsule form, so I just swallow it. Fats will slow digestion/absorption of just about anything... but completely stop absorption? Highly unlikely.
Same here, I see no need to take it 2x daily.
You're probably right about the price... so far it's just helped curb appetite. For that price, I'd just suck it up and deal.